The Secrets We Keep
by Troplet
Summary: Book 1 of the 'Witch Hunt' series. "Uh, please tell me sparkles come before some demonic transition into a bat?" In which Skyler Harris, a muggle born runaway, moves to Forks to live with her god-father, Charlie Swan. The benefit of a small town? To lay low. The other side of the coin? Vampires. One in particular that she can't keep out of her head, Rosalie Hale. OFC/ROSALIE HALE
1. THE COLD NEVER BOTHERED ME ANYWAY

In a way, moving from phoenix offered some benefits; like getting out of the scorching heat, that my body was unable and not made to bear. This was clear, as the window beside me rolled down and the urge to stick my head out of it, along with my tongue was, ah, quite strong to say the least.

This move meant securing some comforts that I grew up with, like constant rain, wind and overall bad weather. Of course, this 'bad weather' offered a comfort only the town Forks could give; a reminder of my home country, Ireland and what it had to offer.

The little town could not hold back my mom's best friend, Renée. The restraints lessened with each day she spent there when she married Charlie. The dark days, the lack of amenities and the same old people? It suited her for a while, she said. Until it did not.

I glanced at Bella from the corner of my eye. "So, Forks, tell me all about it."

"Oh, you know," she said, letting a stretch of awkward silence ensue.

"No Bella, I don't," I said, keeping a straight face. "Otherwise I wouldn't have asked."

Her cheeks reddened. "Right. I haven't been there in three years, because Charlie came to visit us during the summer, but- it's a small town."

"A dreadful town," Renée added, pursing her lips. "I don't understand why you want to go back there, Bella."

"Yeah, Bella," I said, agreeing with Renée, only to annoy her. By the look of it, I succeeded, as she pursed her lips. "Why do you want to go there?"

Renée looked at me. "And you, Skyler, what would your mother say?"

"To get out of the sun before I became a replica of the devil."

"...That does sound like her," Renée said, with wide eyes. "Exactly like her, actually."

Bella scowled in the front seat, but of course, her mother did not notice. Renée hardly noticed anything about her daughter. They looked alike, with the same coloured hair only Renée's was shorter. Their eyes too, shared the same shade of brown.

Their personalities, however? Opposites.

Living with them for a short three months surprisingly showed quite a lot about their relationship. Renée wandered through life, helpless and very _unknowingly,_ dependent on her daughter. She would get the shock of her life when she lived with just Phil.

Their eyes even gave an insight, with Renée's eyes wide, hopeful and playful. Then there was Bella's. Well, you could say that day to day living sucked the life out of them, all the fun portions anyway, leaving them dull and responsible looking.

In other words, _boring_.

"I want to go," Bella lied, scrunching her nose up as she always did when she lied.

"I get it," I said, holding back an eyeroll. "You want to spend time with Charlie."

Renée's face darkened at that, _forcing_ my eyes to roll. "Tell him I said hi, Bella."

"I will."

"Skyler, I'll send some of your parents' things to Charlie's," she said, then turned her attention back to her daughter. "Whenever you want to come home, if you're homesick or if the living situation is not what you expected, come home."

Bella nodded, still not looking her mother in the eye. "Yes, mom. I promise."

I tried my best to hold my face carefully blank, something I had a lot of practice in. Bella sounded like this move was on the same level as a bomb exploding in the middle of a highly-populated city, or like death itself could not equal its sulkiness.

She had options, her parents were alive and well. All her life she lived with Renée, but she could have made the effort to see her father on a regular basis when at a sound enough age, but she had not. For that wasted opportunity and time, I resented her.

As soon as we stepped out of the car, Bella was brought into a hug and I grabbed the suitcases from the boot to occupy my time.

I met Renée's eyes over Bella's shoulder. Her eyes expressed relief. No longer did she have to put up with the orphan, the daughter of her best friend. The daughter of her _dead_ best friend and her husband.

That was fine by me. I never liked her. Also, the cold never bothered me anyway.

She could go and play happy families with Phil.

The one thing I did like about Bella, was the fact that she did not feel the need to fill the silence with mindless chatter. On the four-hour plane ride to Seattle, we kept mostly to ourselves.

Unsurprisingly I was the one to break the silence. "So, you're actually doing this."

"No," she said, lowering her gaze to her hands. "We are. I'm sorry for dragging you into this, but I want my mom to be happy. Happy means Phil."

"Being a mom means putting your kid's needs before her wants, Bella."

Her jaw clenched. I waited and waited for her to reply, but she did not. Just like I expected, she was never one to get into confrontations or speak her truths. It was not shyness or anxiety, I knew that for sure. I just could never get into the mind of Bella Swan.

For some reason, I just wanted her to just explode with profanities. Anything other than the usual mind numbing answers she gave.

Charlie agreed to take Bella in no problem, Renée however decided that if he was willing to take Bella in so easily, that he must take me too, to get to see his daughter.

When the plane landed in Port Angeles, I smiled looking out the window. It rained. Goodbye flimsy clothing and _hello_ comfortable.

Bella nodded toward the police cruiser with a passive face. The man with unruly black curls and a strong moustache leaned against the driver door, with his arms crossed.

"Hey, Chief Swan," I greeted as we came closer to the car. "I just want to say thanks for, well taking me in. I'll get a job and-"

A hand found its way onto my shoulder. "Kid, you're not paying a cent."

"Chief,"

"And it's Charlie to you," he interrupted once more. "Your dad always did have manners, I think that's what caught your mom's eye."

A slow smile formed on my face. "He bowed to her, then fell."

"Right, the staircase." Charlie nodded, his eyes glazed over for only a moment. "I remember now. Drunk as a skunk, he was."

The memories or in my case, the memories of the story of my parents first meeting fell away as Bella coughed and shifted in place awkwardly.

Charlie's eyes widened as he took in his daughter. He eventually gave her a one-armed hug.

"Bells," he said, his eyes lighting up. When he let go, she stumbled and he caught her. "Wow. You really haven't changed much. How's Renée?"

"Mom's fine. It's good to see you too, Dad."

I started to get the bags into the boot as they caught up, albeit awkwardly outside of the car. The reunion was cut short and not exactly sweet, as Bella and Charlie both ended up lugging some luggage into the back seat of the car moments later.

"This is more of your territory, huh Skyler?" Charlie said, after fifteen long minutes trapped inside the car. "You're not so used to the cold, Bells. You'll need to wrap up plenty warm."

"Mom took me clothes shopping before we came," Bella said, fidgeting with her fingertips. "I'll be warm."

Charlie glanced at me through the mirror. "What about you, Skyler? Are you set?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just brought along my old clothes as well as the ones I bought for Phoenix."

The drive continued in silence, I could not help but notice, Charlie kept glancing at Bella every other twenty seconds, always chewing on his lower lip. What else was I supposed to do, but count how many times he did this? Considering I sat squeezed against the luggage in the backseat.

Twenty-eight times he did it, in case you were wondering.

Bella noticed at number twenty-two and ended up shifting her face, so she looked out the window and avoided making eye contact with him, which _did_ dishearten the guy, but did not stop him.

"I found a good car for you, really cheap," he finally said, after building up his courage for half an hour. "I think you'll like it."

Bella faced him, her interest peaked. "What kind of car?"

"Well it's a truck," he corrected, smiling half-heartedly. "A Chevy."

"Where did you get it?"

"Uh, Billy Black, from at La Push," he answered, shifting in his seat. "Do you remember him?"

Bella looked thoughtful for only a second and shrugged. "No."

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Charlie prompted.

Bella's forehead creased as she tried to remember and it took all I had _not_ to scoff. She spent many times fishing with Charlie and evidently his friend. That was the only time she spent with Charlie and it made me restless thinking she could not recall those memories.

Were they not the memories you would replay over and over again? Since they were the only ones with her father. They were precious.

"I don't think so," she mumbled in response.

"He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie continued, shrugging. "He can't drive anymore, so that's why he sold me the truck."

"What year is it?"

I almost laughed at Charlie's twitch in his chin, shifting his moustache, but the fact Bella drilled him like this made me cranky.

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine, it's only a few years old really."

I brought my face between the chairs. " _So_ , if it goes plop, you got your engine guy."

Charlie grinned at me. "Exactly."

Bella did not look appeased. "When did he buy it?"

"In 1984, I think," Charlie muttered.

"Did he buy it new?"

"...Holy interrogation, Batman, take it easy," I _accidently_ let slip. Maybe not because the look on her face? Priceless.

She looked shocked for a second before slumping back in her chair and ran her fingers through her hair. Charlie continued to look nervously between us, until I pointed toward the road. He appeared to like the distraction of, you know, _driving_.

Charlie cleared his throat. "It's a gift for you Bella, uh, and since Skyler's joining us, I figured you would both need a ride of your own. You don't want to ride the cruiser with your old man, not all the time at least."

Bella mouthed, 'Wow, free', then smiled. "Thanks dad, I was going to buy myself a car."

Charlie blushed scarlet. "Well you can save your money and spend it on whatever you kids want. I just want you to be happy."

"I appreciate that."

I did not know how much longer I could put up with Bella's blandness. Living with Renée took my mind off it for the most part, since she hardly let her child finish her sentences before taking back control of the one-sided conversation.

I ran a hand over the cool window. "It snows here, right? Good sturdy choice for the weather here."

"Oh, yeah. It snows all right," Charlie confirmed, wearing a small smile. "If you're anything like your dad, you'll love it."

I brought the conversation back to the weather, which was wet. Somehow Charlie and I managed to keep up a ten-minute conversation over just that.

I appreciated the effort Charlie made, mentioning my parents and all. Renée never did. Out of sight, out of mind. Or in that case, under the ground, the conversation drowned. The constant reference to them though? That might be a bit too much.

A sigh escaped my lips as we bypassed the greenery. Maybe the air was not as fresh as back home, but that was because I used to live beside the sea. Salty air just made everything that much better. The familiarity of the trees was not lost on me though. It was way better than Phoenix.

Charlie parked the car outside of a small but cute looking house. It looked like a family house. In front of this house sat a truck. A clumsy looking thing that made Bella make heart eyes at it.

"Looking good, Charlie," I complimented the truck. "I like the colour."

"Yeah dad, I love it. Thanks!" Bella added on, grinning at it.

Charlie looked intensely at the truck, avoiding our eyes. "I'm glad you like it."

It took us a few trips to get our bags into our respective rooms. Bella obviously got her old bedroom and I was given the guest room. Walking inside and placing the bags onto the bed, I noticed a few things. The guest room looked somehow _personalised_.

I twisted and turned, noticing the small things like a bunny rabbit sat on one of the shelves on the wardrobe, small pictures placed on a bedside locker and on the walls. With closer inspection, the result nearly made me cry.

Charlie held a baby in his arms, dressed in a frilly pink dress that covered the baby's legs so it looked like she was mutated. Renée grinned next to him, alongside Billy Black. Then a man with brown hair and a woman with a slightly lighter shade, smiled too.

My mother and father and their closest friends at my christening.

"I never understood why they gave you two god-fathers," Charlie said, from the door. "Just one god-mother too."

I glanced over my shoulder and shrugged. "They were weird like that."

"I'm sorry, Skyler," he said, his voice gruff. "They were the best people I knew. I'm sorry that you didn't get the time you deserved with them. I truly am."

"Me too."

He nodded at me and excused himself, leaving me to unpack and get settled. The frown that had managed to plaster itself on my lips dropped, leaving my face blank. The raindrops on the window just reminded me of the many tears I spent on the memory of my parents. Their death.

No more would fall, I promised myself that after the funeral.

I grabbed the plastic bag filled with bathroom materials and dumped the stuff onto shelves, making sure to leave enough space for Bella's things too, because I was oh so considerate.

"Oh."

I dropped my toothbrush into a plastic cup and twisted around. "Yeah. I know, don't need to make a big deal over it."

"I wasn't," she denied, backing out of the room.

"You were thinking it. Your face is easy to read." I said, moving past her. "One bathroom, three people. It's not a big deal. Just imagine that with students."

"...Students?"

"I went to boarding school, remember?" I informed more than asked and went back into my bedroom. "In the highlands of Scotland."

"So, you're used to sharing," she said, picking at the edges of her sleeve. "Are you nervous for tomorrow? I don't think the school gets much new students."

I dumped all the clothes onto the bed, then faced her. "Not really. I just want to get settled, normalise things for a while."

I sat on top of the bed and brought the leather-bound journal onto my lap. The assumption she would take the action as a dismissal was clearly wrong. I noticed from the corner of my eye, Bella watched it with interest. Too much interest.

She nodded slowly. "Right. I see that with you everywhere you go. Is it a diary?"

"No."

She waited at the door for an answer. "What is it?"

I slowly smiled, watching her body language ease. Then I snapped it shut, making her jump. "None of your business."

That action, she took as a dismissal.

I opened it again and began to write.

 _Dear Katie,_

 _I'm in Forks. Bella had some obsessive need to make her mom happy or something. Apparently, it's with that guy practically going through puberty, Phil. So here we are, at Charlie's._

 _I thought I'd let you know my whereabouts, just in case. Burn the page after._

 _With Love,_

 _Skyler._

Once I finished writing, I placed the pen down and watched with Fascination as black ink formed letters on the next page.

 _Kay. Geraldine thinks I'm writing secret love letters. If only. Love you too. Xo -Katie._


	2. SMALL TOWN GOSSIP AND DIARY ENTRIES

According to, Bella, Forks High School had three hundred and fifty-seven students. Well, three hundred and fifty-nine, now that we joined them. It was a bit of a jump compared to the two hundred and eighty at my old school. The difference between Forks and my old school? These kids were local. The kids at my old school were from both Britain and Ireland.

Just as I removed my hand from my boot, Bella came bounding into my bedroom, looking flustered as ever.

"How are you not nervous? We're from Phoenix!" she cried out. "We're not tanned, sporty or blonde! I can't do sports. Can you? I don't think I can do this."

I looked her up and down. "Yeah, you're not exactly sun kissed."

"Can't you be serious?" She stomped her foot on the ground. "Please?"

"I am," I assured, standing up off the bed. "You're pale. You don't do sports because you're clumsy as hell- your superpower is injuring those around you without even trying."

Her eyes dropped to the ground. "Why are you listing off my worst qualities?"

"I never said they were bad qualities, Bella."

She let out a groan. "Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that they are your qualities. You're not the stereotype they expect." I brushed my hair, keeping my back to her. "You'll fit right in, you have that girl next door vibe. You're not a freak. You're not going to stand out. You'll fade into the background."

"That doesn't sound complimentary either."

"Did I say it was supposed to be?" I snapped, annoyed at her presence in my room. "Either way, be nervous. You can't help yourself."

"What about you?"

I flipped my hair over my shoulder and faced her. "What about me?"

She stared at me, unblinking then made her way out of the room, muttering beneath her breath. I paid no attention to her complaints and shoved my pyjamas beneath my pillow and threw my journal into my school bag.

The school I went to in Phoenix had three thousand students. Admittedly it was overwhelming to begin with, but I adapted. It allowed for me to blend in.

Forks was a small town with a small school. It was a much different school, curriculum wise than I was used to. So, I was apprehensive. Nervous? No. Comparing to some things my friends and I went through, it had to be abnormal to make me nervous.

I eyed the dark circles beneath my eyes, evidence of my poor sleep. Every time I moved to a new location, the first night always made for a crappy sleep. Though, the rain that pelted against the window and the howling wind made it somewhat peaceful.

"I thought I would have to wake you up," Charlie said, from the kitchen table. "I'm impressed, up early and everything."

I sat beside him, liking his casualness. "I did fall back to sleep for ten minutes, I'll admit to that."

He grinned at me and ate the breakfast Bella made, which was fried eggs and toast. I was not that surprised she made me some too, she was always polite- even if she wished her superpower affected me.

"I already registered you at school, both of you," Charlie said, putting on his jacket by the front door. "So, all you have to do is pick up your schedules."

"Okay dad," Bella answered, standing up abruptly after a quick glance around the place. After he closed the door she motioned for me to get up. "I can't stick it here much longer, let's just go."

"... _Okay_ ," I breathed out, shoving the last piece of toast in my mouth.

Bella plucked the house key from the counter and shoved me out of the door and into the truck. After she slammed her car door shut, she opened it again and locked the front door of the house, before returning with another slam.

Her breathing was laboured, showing off her clear lack of fitness.

"You're not even a little bit nervous?"

I pointed to the turn we were supposed to take and shook my head. "It's like you want me to be nervous. What type of friend wants that?"

"We're friends?"

I snorted. "No."

Bella's face reddened, but not out of embarrassment. Oh no, it was anger. The fact she held her breath as she made a turn into Forks High just made me cackle.

She parked in front of the front office and climbed out without a word. I followed. I slipped a beanie over my head to keep my hair dry and watched as rain fell onto Bella's head. We were soon in the office, the bright office that made me want to stab my eyes.

The red-haired woman glanced up. "May I help you?"

"I'm Isabella Swan," she informed her. "This is Skyler Harris."

"Of course," she said. She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school." She brought several sheets to the counter to show us.

She went through our classes, making small talk as she highlighted routes to the classes. Once done, she smiled. I left Bella to do my own thing- like head to my own class as she went to hers.

The classes were extremely small, meaning the chances of teachers choosing you to answer a question was high. Also, the fact that if a new girl appeared, people noticed. They sure as hell noticed. The class flew by in what seemed seconds.

As I stood up, the girl next to me did too and smiled. "So, you're Skyler Harris and I'm Angela Webber. Friends?"

"Hi, Angela Webber," I greeted, ignoring the stares our way. "I'm afraid your friendship application is denied."

"You're funny," she said, laughing. "Anyway, where's your next class?"

"Government with Jefferson, building six," I said, grimacing as I realised Bella had the same class.

"Don't worry, it's not that bad," she said, opening the door for me. "My class is in the same building so, I'm taking you there, newbie."

"Thanks, it's a small school, but-"

"The first time at any school is confusing, I get it." We walked in the rain, huddle beneath our coats. "So, you don't look like you're from Phoenix. You don't sound like you're from Phoenix either."

I smiled at her accusing tone. "I'm not, not really."

"Vague, huh? If I had to pinpoint the accent I'd say you're from Ireland," she deadpanned, smiling at me. "It's a distinctive accent, the Irish."

"Small towns, huh. Everyone has to know everything," I said, mostly joking. She grinned in response. "You're right. You have a good ear."

"Well, here it is," she said, pointing toward the door. "If you see me in the canteen, come over."

I smiled at her directness and went inside.

In that government class Bella was made to stand up and introduce herself. After blushing, stumbling over her own words and tripping, the teacher eyed me warily and let me sit down without introducing myself, which was fine by me.

The classes flew by and I made a game. Pick out the the faces that I recognised from the others, which happened to be several. What made me annoyed was the fact that these familiar faces still watched my every move, despite seeing my face before.

I met a guy called Eric, a friend of Angela's, apparently. He talked about the yearbook he and Angela worked on and the articles that needed photographs. Then he spoke of his friends. Honestly, he was quite the talker.

"Hey guys, this is Skyler," Eric introduced me to the canteen table full of his friends. "Check out her accent, sweet, huh?"

As they said their greetings I could only look at one person. "Bella."

"Hey, Skyler."

"Oh right, she's the other new kid," a girl with fuzzy hair said, looking me up and down. "So, you live together, but you're not related. What's with this town?"

I sat down beside Eric and scowled at her the girl's tone. "Diverse, maybe?"

"Mhm," she hummed, sticking out her hand for me to shake. "Jessica Stanley."

After I shook her hand, I glanced at Bella but her face looked dopey, transfixed even. I followed her line of vision and understood her reasoning for looking that way.

Five teenagers sat in a corner. They stood out automatically because they did not spare a glance toward the new girls' table. That was the initial thing that made me keep glancing at them, not staring like my counterpart because _I_ had manners.

Another thing that stood out was their vast _differences_ and their _similarities_.

One looked like a pro wrestler with his gigantic muscles and curly black hair. Another had blonde curls and a lean body. His face structured like a man, as opposed to a growing teenager. Then, there was the one who looked like the baby of the group, reddish hair and a boyish face.

Beside him sat a short girl, with short black hair, spiked up in all directions. Her facial features were quite small, matching her frame. A ballerina's body, if I were to put a word to it all.

The last girl, had what I could only describe a beautiful figure. Her blonde locks curled until they reached the middle of her back. She was the type of girl to make heads snap in their haste to get a second, third even fourth look.

They were all so different yet the same. Pale skin, dark eyes and purplish shadows beneath them. All their hair were styled to perfection. Their facial structures were oddly perfect too. All impossibly perfect, all impossibly beautiful.

 _All vampires_.

I went to grab my journal, but Bella snapped a hand on my wrist and nodded in the direction she fawned over.

"Who are they?" Bella asked, catching the eye of Jessica.

Jessica looked to where she nodded, not surprised to see who she meant. "That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one on the left is Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife."

"They are...very nice-looking," Bella strained.

I ripped my hand from hers and snapped my fingers in front of her face. "Still doesn't give you the right to be rude. Tone down the staring."

My instincts were going into overdrive. My nails scratched against the table and my knee bobbed up and down, inching behind the chair so I had access to the back of my boot.

Jessica looked at me oddly. "Yeah, too bad they're all together though- Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper and Alice. Weird, right? They _live_ together."

It was highly unlikely that they were turned at the same time, never mind from the same household. I glanced over at them briefly, their hair, their faces, no-they were not related. Maybe they were a family- which was odd to think about, but not related.

"Which one are the Cullens?" Bella continued pestering Jessica for answers. "They don't look related."

"Why aren't you asking about anyone else?" I complained, scrunching up my nose. "It's bad form, to only ask about people because of their appearance."

Bella's face reddened. "Aren't you curious? Even just a little bit?"

"Not particularly, no."

 _Hell, yes_ I was. Vampires? Up close? I could so write something way better than Lockhart's _Voyages with Vampires_ book. Facts rather than fabricated stories. I needed a project, something to occupy my mind from straying back to worrying about Katie and Matthew.

"Are you ever _anything_? Not nervous, not curious. What are you?"

I rolled my eyes. "A witch. I'm a witch. Duh."

Again, I received strange looks.

"If you don't want to listen, don't," Jessica said, not really looking in my direction. "They're not related, Bella. Dr. Cullen is like just under thirty, maybe? They'll all adopted. The Hales are brother and sister, twins- the blondes- and they're foster children."

"They look a little old for foster children," Bella commented, still staring at them.

"They are now, yes," Jessica confirmed. "Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that."

I pursed my lips. "So, they're together and they're not blood related with the exception of the twins."

"Yes, it's sick, right?"

"Not really," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "It's not incest. Dr. Cullen and his wife sound like match makers, if anything. Not an incest cult."

When Bella began questioning Jessica about the boy named Edward, I took the opportunity to take out my journal. I checked for any messages from Katie, there was none. I went to the back of the journal to see if there any from my other friend called, Matthew, again none.

I heaved a sigh and twirled my pen between my fingertips then wrote.

 _Katie, you wouldn't by any chance have books in relation to vampires, do you? -S_

"What's that?" Jessica asked, interrupting my train of thought.

I glanced up to see the whole table, staring at me.

"It's her diary," Bella answered for me. "She carries it everywhere."

"Yes, I just have to pour every emotion I feel into this book." I waved it sarcastically. "How else am I supposed to process them? Think about it? That sounds way too hard."

"Oh." Jessica eyed it, with far more interest than Bella did. "I understand."

"Okay, sarcasm is a foreign concept here," I muttered, letting out a scoff afterword. "I'm going to go insane."

The conversation went back to the Cullens. It started to get on my nerves. It was obvious they could hear everything we said and I did not want their attention on me, so, I stood up and flung my school bag over my shoulder. At the same time the vampires stood up which _did_ freak me out.

I mean, they were vampires! Anything they did freaked me out.

I waited outside my next class, biology with my journal open, just waiting for a response from either Matthew or Katie. The bell rang and nothing appeared.

I sat third from the front on the left hand side and positioned my journal to the side, out of prying eyes way. The only person in the room was the teacher so I removed the stick like object from my boot and placed it up my sleeve.

Then people entered the classroom, but I was too busy reading the answers from my friends and writing them back.

 _Vampires with Voyages, that's it. But you already know that's useless. Any reason why? xo-K_

 _Nope, just wondering.-S_

 _I left anything related to you know what behind, I thought you did too?-M_

 _I did, I promise. Don't freak.-S_

 _I was just wondering, I promise-S_

Moving the journal back to my left, I glanced up and the room was full. More importantly, the seat beside me had a person occupying it.

"You missed the first round of notes," the blonde said, looking straight at the board.

I cleared my throat, forcing my heart rate to remain normalish. I went to respond, but I got distracted. Edward, sat as far away from Bella as possible. His eyes were pitch black and he had a scowl plastered on his face. Bella's hair hid herself from his piercing glare.

"...Right," I said, still distracted, not sure what to do. Black eyes, meant like- thirsty for din dins, or something.

From the corner of my eye, the girl looked at her brother. "Don't bother asking for my notes."

"I wasn't going to," I muttered.

Vampire note taking? What the hell were they doing at a school? Easy pickings of teenagers? The hardback I was supposed to use for note-taking was yet again shoved aside in favour of my journal. Knowing the girl next to me was in fact a vampire, I shifted away from her.

I opened it and covered the words with my arm. It was not like they could zoom in with their eyes and focus like a camera, right?

 _Okay, what would you do if you found yourself sitting next to a vampire?-S_

 _Burn baby burn xo-K_

I snorted and slammed the journal closed, gaining an annoyed sigh from the blonde vampire.

"A diary is it?" she asked, finally looking me dead in the eye.

"Sure."

Her eyes narrowed, unlike her brother's coal black eyes, they were honey-glazed.

I peeked open the journal again.

 _You haven't responded and you're on about vampires. Suspicious much? Dude. I'm serious when saying, get out of there. Like, where the hell are you to meet vampires anyway? xo-K_

 _I'm at school-S_

 _Df? Where's your wand? xo-K_

 _In sleeve. -S_

 _Well, my point still stands. Burnnnn babe. xo-K_

I let out another laugh and closed it altogether and this time dropped it into my bag. Rosalie's eyes glared into my side, but I could not stop smiling. Katie always had a dark sense of humour. Or, perhaps she was seriously concerned for my well-being. Either way, it was funny.

"And your diary entries are always humorous?"

I glanced at her, finding it odd that I found curiosity swimming in her eyes. "Well, if you find deep emotional turmoil hilarious, then yes. I'm a comedian laughing at the darker side of life."

"I don't," she said, tilting her head to the side. Her face inched forward, toward mine. "It begs the question, what's so dark in your life?"

The bell rang and her brother practically sprinted out of the room leaving a perplexed Bella behind him.

I motioned toward Bella. "Maybe it was about the fact that your brother stared at my... Bella like she looked... delicious."

And then her eyes flashed. "Your Bella?"

"Maybe it wasn't about that at all." I walked around her, gripping my sleeve tightly as I did so. "It doesn't matter, does it? You'll never know for sure."


	3. VOLLEYBALL, NOTES AND ATTRACTION

The next day was interesting, to say the least.

On the first day of school, I did a lap around the place just to scope out the general area, so I came to school better prepared. The only reason I relaxed throughout the day was because I had not bothered to check the journal that I was sure had many messages from both Katie and Matthew and their thoughts on the Fork's vampires.

Again, sleep escaped me as I stayed up during the night, delving into the dark side of the internet; to find legitimate wizard and witches' forums and their discussions in relation to vampires. They were a taboo topic. Most were in the community, it was a dark time, after all.

The vampire research was a distraction from my friends, but what would be my distraction from the vampires?

 _Volleyball._

"You have no idea how to play, do you?"

I eyed the white ball in my hands, twisting and turning it. "Well the objective is to get it over the net. How hard can it be?"

Eric grimaced. "Um. Just watch Bella. Her team is playing now. Maybe you'll understand why everyone doesn't exactly want you on their team."

I watched with wide eyes throughout the ordeal. The volleyball managed to land on her head, three times and she tripped over it twice. Her hands were red raw. Her team-mates avoided her and their opponents took advantage, whacking the ball in her direction.

The coach blew the whistle and signalled for the losing team to get off the court and for another team to take its place.

"Do you see how it might be a little hard? Especially for you?"

I stared at him, until it clicked. "I'm not related to Bella, Eric."

"Still," he said, looking at me warily.

"Bella's the one who is a magnet for near death experiences..."

"Think about this," he said, walking backwards. "She spent her childhood playing volleyball. You haven't played once, thus leaving you at her level. Maybe even worse off."

I motioned toward the seats. "Oh no. I suddenly have cramps. Oh, the pain. The bloodshed. The _horror._ "

"Damn, graphic much?" Eric asked, grinning at me. "Always bad timing, those things."

"Aren't they just?"

Eric convinced me to abandon my team due to selfish self-preservation and I did not regret it one bit.

Bella's eyes searched through the students waiting for their chance to play and they landed on me. Even after I sent her a mocking smile, she decided to sit on the ground next to me.

"One of the qualities I quite like and despise about you, is your bluntness."

I took out my journal and placed it on my lap. "I hate that you dance around subjects. Yes, you may ask me for an honest opinion."

"Right," she mumbled. "Well a guy-"

"Edward."

"Uh yes, Edward, well during biology-"

"He glared at you."

"Um. Yes," she confirmed, looking freaked out. "I couldn't sleep last night. Is it wrong that I got angry? I stayed up most of the night, like, I deserve to know what his problem is, right? I should confront him?"

I chuckled, closing my eyes and leaned my head against the wall. "Bella, you want honesty?"

"Well, yeah?"

"Okay. That was the most pathetic thing I've ever heard in my life." Her mouth opened in protest but I shushed her. "He doesn't like you. He's entitled to his opinion. You're not going to like everyone. You don't see Jessica Stanley asking me why I don't like her, do you? She knows that, it's life."

She nodded her head slowly. "But, I don't want to feel anxious going into Biology every day."

"Too bad."

"He tried to get out of the class, Skyler," she said, exasperated. "Because of me! He hates me that much. It isn't normal."

"Self-obsessed much?"

Bella abruptly stood up, breathing hard. "I'm not delusional. I'll prove it!"

After Bella stormed off, the coach noticed a player down and took one glance in my direction and decided just to leave me alone. That was the only good thing that came out of people assuming I was related to Bella Swan- and I planned to reap the benefits for as long as I could.

At lunch, I still had not opened the journal.

My newest distraction came.

Bella.

She sat down and swept her gaze over to the Cullen table, a table that I faced. Only four siblings sat at that table and _Mr. I want to suck your blood_ was not one of them. The only time I allowed my eyes to wander in that direction, I was met with Rosalie's eyes looking directly at _me._

"You can relax, Bella," I said, patting her shoulder which she shrugged off. "You won't die in biology today. Better luck tomorrow."

She scowled at me. "I bet he's not here because of me."

"We've been over this; the world does not revolve around Bella Swan."

"I never said it did," she snapped and instantly looked like she regretted it. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged, my fingers still played with the journal. "I wasn't offended until you apologised. Own up to your feelings. Shout them loud."

"You called me self-obsessed when I did though."

I rose an eyebrow. "Your thoughts and feelings _are_ self-obsessed, but they are yours so, shout them and be proud, I guess."

"I don't understand you."

"Same."

As we walked to Biology, Bella's strides became more confident. Her enemy number one did not turn up to lunch. Mike, a popular kid walked with us and sat behind me. Apparently, he sat with us at the canteen table, but I did not notice.

Edward was absent and Bella looked part devastated and relieved, making me roll my eyes, hard. Her obsession came from a crush. Who could blame her? Vampires were designed to allure you into their grasp. They were predators.

The journal found its way onto the table again. I stared at the cover and just like the previous day, time flew until all the seats were taken.

"You don't look like you're planning on taking notes today either," a velvety voice murmured to my right.

I could not stop myself. Just a peek at her, for research purposes. "Maybe tomorrow."

Her ruby lips curled up into a mocking smile. "You're not getting my notes."

"I know." I nodded, accidently allowing myself to inhale whatever define scent she gave off. Once snapped out of the thrall, my chair moved away. "I've got better things to do in class."

"Like writing in that?" she asked, nodding toward the journal.

I glanced down to it, making a face. "Probably not, no. Not today."

" _Maybe tomorrow_?"

"Mhm."

"I thought as much," she said, facing the board. "You don't look much in a humorous mood today. Shame. I wanted to find out what your _wicked_ sense of humour entailed."

The way she pronounced 'wicked' reminded me of a few things. One, she was a vampire. Two, she smelled totally awesome-like citrusy sweet, because she distracted me enough to make me inhale through my nose. Three, she spoke to me for some unknown reason. Four, her reasoning behind her alluring behaviour meant death.

For these reasons, I stiffened in my seat and let the wand slide down the sleeve, until it nearly poked out of it. It touched my skin enough just to let me know that it was in fact there. That I had protection.

The class continued. The more notes that went on the board, the more I saw of Rosalie's fancy cursive writing. Matthew was obsessed with fonts, I was half tempted to let her write in the journal just to show him.

"You do seem rather interested in my notes for someone who doesn't want them."

I glanced up to see an amused tilt of her head. "I never said I didn't want them. I just knew I wouldn't get them."

"I see," she said, humming- but it sounded more like a purr. "Your Bella is lonely today."

"I noticed."

"Yesterday you mentioned Edward looking at her," she started, then lowered her voice. "You also said you were amused by the darker things in life, then indicated that his looks were what made you laugh."

I nodded and noticed on her expectant stare. "I also mentioned something along the lines of you never knowing."

"Yes, I picked up on that," she said, her eyes piercing.

"Well, I'm glad we've established that." I tore my gaze away and flipped open my hardback. "Notes?"

Her lips quirked up for a split second before she scowled. "Not a chance."

"Oh well," I said, shrugging. "Can't say I didn't _not_ try to fail this class."

"I'll vouch for you."

I flashed her a plastic smile. "Thanks."

Once school was out, I made my way toward the truck. Bella's blue sweater stood out as she walked briskly toward the vehicle. Before I made it there, she started up the engine and it made the most horrific sound, making me wince.

Heads turned in her direction and she looked around as if to say 'Uh that wasn't my car, but whose, was it? Let's make fun of theirs together?' I jumped into the truck and waited patiently for her to start driving, but she was staring again.

"You know, I've been too mesmerized by their faces to notice their clothes," Bella said, nodding her head in the direction of the Cullen's silver Volvo. "They all wear designer freaking clothes and ride _that_ thing. Why haven't I noticed that before?"

"Do you want me to answer that?"

She grimaced. "No, not really."

"Well Bells, you're a teenager. You were too horny to notice."

"Skyler!"

I shrugged. "Like I said, it's demeaning to only notice them for their looks. Now you're pointing out their wealth? Who are you? What do you stand for?"

She hissed and spluttered as she drove. The noisy truck caught their attention. As Bella avoided their gaze, I glanced at them. Both the bulky guy and Rosalie looked at me, amusement in the guy's eyes and something non-identifiable in Rosalie's.

Once we got home, Bella sat at the kitchen table with the laptop. Her eyes trailed through some emails until she released a quite 'shit'.

"What's the problem now, Bella?"

"Didn't reply to Renée. She's freaking out."

I rolled my eyes. "Then reply. You make the biggest deal out of everything."

"You asked," she muttered, scowling.

As Bella dealt with her communication problems, I thought it was time to deal with my own.

I opened the journal on the table and clicked a pen. One breath and I allowed my eyes to trail over the pages.

 _So, did you burn the vamp up? xo-K_

 _Girl, I swear you better be napping or something. xo-K_

 _Okay. The countdown is on. If you do not scribble a damn letter on this page in the next ten hours, I'm going to bloody make my way down to Forks by whatever means necessary, forget the trace- and hunt you down. If you happen to be dead, well, those vamps better be ready. I'll avenge you babe. xo-K_

 _That last note was a joke. xo-K_

 _But it might as well have been a real one, because I mean it now.-K_

Panicking that the last message did not have the usual 'xo', I started scribbling a response.

 _I'm alive-S_

 _Okay, now that's out of the way, I'll give you details. I promise I'm safe. I also promise I haven't used any magic. Birthday's not for a while yet. So, there's a fam of vamps in town, just chilling around school. I looked up online and there hasn't been any disappearances or mass murdering around Forks. No recent deaths, putting aside medical incidents/accidents. I don't understand.-S_

 _Kay, first things first, don't tell Matthew. He'll freak xo-K_

 _Secondly, I've been researching all things vampire and nothing has turned up. You sat beside one and you're alive! Everyone is alive in that school. Advice? When and if you can, get out of the town. You can't use magic to protect yourself without giving your location away. I'm assuming there's no adult magic users there- so you can't blame the magical essence on them. xo-K_

 _Thirdly, if you can't move. Avoid. xo-K_

 _The only thing worth reading there is 'avoid' and that's going to be hard considering I sit next to one in Biology every day. Speaking of, how the hell am I supposed to pass this curriculum? I don't even know the basics from the first year of high school?-S_

 _Idk, Sky. Do you need to pass? It's only a place to hide out until this is over. I gotta go, talk lates. xo-K_

By the time I read Katie's last message, Charlie sat at the kitchen table.

"So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?"

"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her friends at lunch. And there's this boy, Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice," Bella answered.

"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid - nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here. What about you Skyler?"

I nodded and smiled. "Yup, Angela and Eric. From my own investigative skills, they're also good kids."

He nodded. "Good job, kiddo."

"Do you know the Cullen family?" Bella asked, hesitantly, ignoring my eye roll at her obsessiveness. Not that I was much better. At least I hid it.

"Dr. Cullen's family?" Charlie looked up. "Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man."

"They... the kids... are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school."

"Pfft, Bella they keep to themselves, that doesn't mean they're weird."

Charlie surprised us both by looking angry.

"People in this town," he muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him - lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature - I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should - camping trips every other weekend... Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk."

It was the longest speech I'd ever heard Charlie make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying.

Bella back-pedalled. "They seemed nice enough to me. I just noticed they kept to themselves. They're all very attractive," she added, trying to be more complimentary.

"Mhm, she finds a certain redheaded Cullen attractive all right."

Bella narrowed her eyes. "What about you and Emmett making eyes today?"

" _Bella, Bella, Bella_ ," I said, then toned down my condescension when Charlie looked at me. "I'm not interested in boys."

"Ah, you dad did mention that in a letter," Charlie said, pursing his lips. "No one's bothering you about that? Just you tell them that you're the god-daughter of the chief, it should send them packing."

I smiled at the shocked face of Bella, before answering, "I'll keep that in mind."

"You should see the doctor," Charlie said, laughing, turning his attention back to Bella. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around."

I left them to talk and went up to my bedroom to reply to Matthew's messages. I missed my friends, but at least I knew we were all safe for the time-being.


	4. SNOWFLAKES FADE BUT COLD REMAINS

It had been a week since Bella told me that she would prove that she was _not_ delusional. It had also been a week since Edward Cullen had shown up to school. Not that I would ever admit it to Bella, but perhaps she had a point. Maybe she did manage to drive away the vampire.

Bella drove us to school on the Monday morning, humming along with the radio that played country music. Her comfort levels were high since Friday afternoon.

It almost made me want to get the vampire to terrify her again.

"You know, there is no good book-stores around here," Bella said, frowning. "I know you said you had to leave your books behind, so maybe we can go to Olympia or Seattle to find a good one?"

I bounced up and down in my seat, looking up at the sky. "Sure, Bella. Whatever."

The answer seemed to suit her because she did not pester me for the rest of the drive. Once she parked the car, I let myself smile as I walked into the building. I had a feeling the day would be _awesome_.

The sky was covered in what looked like a sheet of a white, puffy mess. It did not rain that morning like it had done the weekend and it was at a very cold temperature. It had a chance of _snowing_.

During the first three classes my eyes strayed toward the windows, tapping my fingers against the table- just waiting for the cheers that it _snowed_. Anything to let me know that my high expectations were to be met. Otherwise what would be the point of smiling that day?

"You're into all things book, right Skyler?" Angela asked, directing me outside after class. "How would you feel about writing for my photographs? Eric has his own photographer already, so I'm left in the lurch."

"You don't even know what I write about in my journal," I said, laughing at her assumption. "You're willing to risk your reputation on an assumption?"

"Well, it has to be of some importance if you keep it on you at all times," she replied, rolling her eyes. "All that practice must amount to something, right?"

I shook my head. "It's not material to be spread across the public."

"It's not a diary, that I know for sure," she muttered, her fingers inched toward the journal. When removed from her touch she looked up. "Sorry."

"Why are people so interested in this journal?" I shoved it into my bag for safe-keeping. "Everyone has some sort of secret pleasure. Let me enjoy mine."

We walked outside and was met with a winter wonderland. Teenagers laughter rang through the courtyard, snowflakes flew along with the wind, swirling around us until it landed in our hair and on the tips of our noses.

"Wow," Mike said, coming up from behind us with Bella. "It's snowing."

Bella scrunched up her nose. "Ew."

Mike turned to her. "Don't you like snow?"

"No. That means it's too cold for rain," she said. "Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes - you know, each one unique and all that. These just look like the ends of Q-tips."

"Haven't you ever seen snow fall before?" he asked incredulously.

"Sure, I have." She paused. "On TV."

I rolled my eyes and bent down to fidget with my shoe laces. "Well, I _love_ the snow."

"Of course, you would," Bella said, sounding tired.

"I don't know what that was supposed to mean," I said, standing up. Ignoring the chill that pierced my hand, I smashed the pile of snow right into Bella's face and sang, "But, _I don't care. I love it._ "

Mike laughed and Angela well, she looked at me with the most disapproving face she could muster.

Another snowball landed against the side of Mike's head, leaving his fair hair mashed with white specks. I had a sneaky suspicion that it was Eric. He looked stunned behind his glasses, like the fact that he managed to hit anyone at all, astounded him.

"Skyler, just why? What did I ever do to you?" Bella growled, wiping furiously at her face. "I'm going to go inside and dry off."

I nodded, trying on a sympathetic face. "You do that."

Once Bella left, Angela turned to me. "Why are you so _mean_ to her?"

"I'm not," I said, licking my lips. "I just want her to let loose, get outside of her head occasionally, but I suppose you can't change a person's core."

"You already knew that, though," she pointed out, frowning.

I shrugged. "A little bit, yeah. Sometimes distractions make you happy, even for just a moment."

Angela's disappointed face turned into a small smile. "I'm going to go in, don't want to leave her alone with Jessica. The poor girl would have a heart attack."

I waved her off and searched for a seat. Walking over toward the side of the courtyard positioned beside the glass window outside of the canteen, I took a seat and whipped out Bella's biology notes. Just because there was a vampire in that class, maybe two in the near future- did not mean I had to _fail._

Paying attention whilst keeping an eye on two fast moving creatures could not be that hard, right?

I never failed a class in my life. Anything below an A was _unacceptable_.

One thing that I let slip in the three months that I lived with Renée was my attention to academic studies, even if it was _muggle studies_. It had been five years since I went to public school, meaning I had a lot of work ahead of me.

As soon as I opened Bella's notebook, I wished I had not. Her writing was like chicken scratch, bland and an overall eye sore. A long fifteen minutes later, after deciphering the first three pages, I glanced up and into the canteen where Bella looked like she had seen a ghost.

Without thinking, my eyes strayed to the Cullens who laughed. People all around them stopped to stare once in a while, at their musical laughter.

I heaved a sigh when Jessica stood beside Bella and Edward and the clumsy girl in question had a weird stare off.

"Tomorrow always comes too quickly, doesn't it?"

Rosalie appeared out of seemingly nowhere, sitting right beside me on the bench, inspecting her nails as if she had been there for ten minutes.

There was a certain lightness to her, her skin looked I dare say better- with the snowflakes falling around us. More breath-taking.

"I know," I said, glaring down at Bella's notes to avoid gawking at her. "I always know that procrastination ruins the next day, but the lesson never sinks in."

"Well, that's your own fault," she said, her voice light. "Doing something over and over and expecting the same result is the definition of what?"

I scowled and decided to change the subject. "Will your brother mind his manners today?"

She looked at me, genuinely shocked. "Excuse me?"

Rolling my eyes, I stood up. "Bella doesn't need the anxiety that comes with his glaring. She's enough of a stress ball as it is. So, will your brother be civil, or will I have to talk to him?"

"I'm sure," she said, standing up. Her eyes hardened. "He'll be on his best behaviour."

I grinned and took several steps backwards, not wanting to push my luck. "Then, I guess I'll see you in biology. Bye, Rosie."

Then my body turned and I found myself walking back into the school's building, right into the canteen. Mike and Eric came in at the same time, allowing a small blizzard of snowflakes to wander around the canteen until they landed on an object and melted.

For lunch, they served apples and my appetite was not huge at that moment so that was the only thing laid on my tray.

Bella made space for me to sit down, looking eager to talk to me for some reason. You would think after her top was soaked she would be angry, but no. Her face was apprehensive, but it was not exactly directed at me.

"I made a deal with myself and I need you to make me follow it through," Bella said, gripping my upper arm. "Please?"

Slapping the hand off, I motioned for her to go on. "Tell me then."

"If he doesn't look angry when I look at him, I will go to biology."

"Bella, you're not exactly the type of person to skip."

She eyed me. "Not everyone finds it necessary to skip."

I grinned. "There you go, you're going to class."

She groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "How do I find myself falling for your manipulations? Every single time."

For the rest of the lunch hour, Bella swore to stop staring at the Cullens if I promised to not mention her crush on Edward, which I agreed to.

We walked to class, dodging snowballs until we reached inside. Once sat inside the classroom, I dropped the hood of my jacket and slumped into my desk and watched with sadness as rain peeled the layers of snow from the ground and washed the blobs from the windows.

Bella faced me and grinned. "He didn't turn up." Then her smile dropped. "I think this means I am the problem."

"Don't sound too excited," I muttered, watching as the vampires practically glided into the room. "It might come back to _bite_ you."

She looked confused until Edward caught her eye and she nearly fell out of her chair.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he introduced himself. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan."

After noticing he still sat as far away as possible and his chair was angled toward Bella, I zoned out of their conversation. His open face and smile on his lips indicated that he was not as broody as before.

"See," Rosalie murmured, right next to my ear. "Best behaviour."

I scooted away from her, which made her laugh softly.

Mr. Banner started talking and everyone in the class listened intently. He explained the lab that we were to do and everyone nodded along. Apparently using our books was a big no-no. This also affected our grades.

"Ah, you all have the most confident faces," Mr. Banner said sarcastically, scanning the class. "Get started."

I flashed my most charming smile toward the blonde vampire. "Are you on your best behaviour today, too?"

"I always am," she said, her slight smile faded. "My name is Rosalie, by the way."

"Right. I know that?" I handed her the first slide. "Then you can inspect the first slide."

The smile returned, but you had to pay attention to notice the little curl of her lips. Her fingers moved so nimble, adjusting the focus of the microscope then ensured the slide was in place before she glanced at it briefly.

"Prophase," she said, nodding toward my notepad.

I wrote it down and tried to hide my smile. "That sounds like a good system. You tell me what to write. We save time. We're all happy."

"You're having unrealistic expectations for this class, Skyler," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not doing all the work, for you to claim the credit."

I eyed the microscope. "Do you want to fail this class?"

"That's not what I meant either." Her hand grasped mine, ice-cold and tugged me so I stood behind the microscope and in front of her. "You can learn as we work."

After a couple of seconds, she removed her hand and waited until I peeked down at the slide, which made no sense whatsoever. Almost as much sense as the fact my hand tingled. The snowflakes might have melted, but the cold remained.

"Yup, it's totally prophase," I agreed sarcastically, gaining a small huff from her. "Here, hand me the second slide."

"No, I don't think so." Her hand rested on my hip and it managed to slide my body to the side so, she took my place. She placed the second slide under the microscope and glanced up. "Anaphase."

"Teamwork at its finest," I muttered, writing down the answer.

As she slipped in the third slide, I saw a hint of a smile. "Interphase."

We continued like that until they were finished. We were done just before Bella and her vampire. I released a sigh when I noticed most the other students had hidden their books beneath the table for them to glance at. The fact that I was kind of in debt to the killing machine made me want to whack my head against the table.

My back straightened as I watched the interaction between Edward and Bella. Putting aside that the dude was in fact a vampire, I really didn't like him. He just gave off that creepy vibe.

"Have you lost your muse?" Rosalie asked, her eyes widened as if she had not meant to blurt it out.

At the unexpected question, I rose an eyebrow. "Something like that."

"Mhm," she said, sliding the journal over the task. "I wondered why you looked so calm. You left that outside."

Just the sight of her pale hand on my journal made my heart pound. I swallowed and took it from the table and let it rest on my lap. My heart rate eventually slowed when I realised that she would not have been able to see anything. The words, they vanished after a while. Maybe she saw blank pages, but that was it.

After the long stretch of silence, she wore a frown, studying me.

"I didn't read it, you know."

I considered her eyes. The same butterscotch with an undertone of gold. I had seen her siblings' eyes dark, but never hers for some reason. The transition between colours was something I noted at that moment. It meant something. Edward's behaviour became more erratic when dark. Rosalie appeared calm. Her eyes never changed.

After pinpointing genuineness, I said, "I know."

At that her eyes narrowed, clearly doubting my words. "How would you know that?"

"Trust me, I'd know."

Mr. Banner walked to our table after he spoke to Edward and Bella. Rosalie left the worksheet at the end of the table for him to inspect.

"I'm not surprised," was all he said before walking off.

Rosalie's attention turned back to me the instant he moved by her. "Out in the snow earlier, it looked like you were in your element. First time seeing it?"

"No," I answered, smiling a little bit at the normal conversation she tried to enact. "Seen it a fair few times now. It never gets old."

"You're from Ireland," she stated monotonously.

"That's true, I'm from the west," I said, only making her more confused.

"It would be a rarity for it to snow there, snow that sticks that is."

I pursed my lips to keep myself from laughing. It was as if she thought she caught me in a lie and wanted me to become a bumbling mess, like I was another version of _Bella_. Anyone thinking like that would make me angry. A predator thinking, I was a pushover? Not acceptable.

So, deciding that if she tried to kill me out of frustration, it would be worth it, I allowed myself to grin and said, "That is very true."

Her body faced mine fully now, transfixed on the conversation. "You're amused. It didn't snow in Phoenix. What am I missing?"

Other than Angela, she was probably the first person to be direct with her line of questioning.

I could tell some partial truths. "I went to a boarding school in Scotland."

Her nails began to scrape against the table. "Why would someone travel such a distance for a boarding school?"

"I would say it's complicated, but that would be a lie," I said, noticing her fascination and being confused by it. I was not the best story-teller. "The school recruits students, you have to fit their requirements to get in."

"Well you must have stood out," she commented, halting her tapping. "What were the requirements, if you don't mind me asking?"

I placed the journal on the desk. "You can ask."

"Has anyone ever told you, that you're a frustrating conversationalist?"

Suddenly Bella twisted in her chair. "All the time."

Rosalie decidedly ignored her, she did not even glance in her direction before asking, "Requirements?"

"Magical qualities."

A slow sigh escaped her lips. "Skyler, why did you come here?"

The bell rang and honestly, it was quite a relief. Conversations with Rosalie Hale were quite intense. Maybe it was because my body did not relax throughout them. Mr. Banner said we could go so I stood up and watched with annoyance as Edward sprinted out of the room, leaving behind an amazed and confused Bella.

Walking out of the room, Rosalie walked by my side in silence as if she wanted to continue talking.

"Now, that is complicated," I finally answered, twenty seconds later, when were outside walking to our respective cars.

She hummed in response and said, "Maybe another time."

"I thought procrastination wasn't your thing?"

That made her stop walking. Not facing she chuckled. "You're right. It's not. That, Skyler was a promise."

The rain was just a mist as I walked through the parking lot, but I was in a good mood when I settled into the truck. Bella got the heater running, for once not caring about the mind-numbing roar of the engine. She just seemed to want out of the parking lot.

I unzipped my jacket, put the hood down, unleashing my curls.

Bella looked around to make sure it was clear. That's when I noticed the still, white figure. Edward Cullen was leaning against the front door of the Volvo, three cars down from me, and staring intently in our direction.

Beside him, Rosalie spoke to her sister.

"Bella, your stalkers staring at you, again," I said, maintain eye contact with him.

Obviously, that was the wrong thing to say. Bella swiftly looked away and threw the truck into reverse, almost hitting a rusty Toyota Corolla her my haste. Lucky for the Toyota, she stomped on the brake in time. It was just the sort of car that the truck would make scrap metal of.

She took a deep breath, still looking out the other side of the car, and cautiously pulled out again, with greater success. She stared straight ahead as we passed the Volvo, but I peeked on time to see Rosalie slap the back of Edward's head and I could have sworn I heard a resounding smack.

"So was yours," Bella muttered darkly.


	5. A WINTER WONDERLAND

As soon as I opened my eyes the next morning, something was different.

The fact that I did not know immediately what it was, prompted me to get out of bed with a single hop. The weather looked as perfectly horrid as ever. The wind's whispers woke me up, initially and beckoned me toward the window. Along the forest's line and between the trees, laid a thick blanket of snow.

My cheeks hurt from smiling so much at the sight. It was picture perfect, an ideal day for Skyler Harris.

The yard was covered in white along with the truck. Charlie stood outside, he wore a hat. Gloves were shoved into the front pockets of his jeans. His hands messed around with something on the truck until he stood up and blew into his hands. The roads were also covered in snow, but portions that happened to be clear had black ice.

A significant buzz, hummed throughout my body. My legs carried me toward the bedside locker and opened the cupboard door- my body did so of its own accord, until the wand was clamped firmly between fingers.

That's when it clicked. I was seventeen. The trace was finally _gone._

Without much concern, I flipped open the journal without touching it, not able to stop grinning from such a simple act.

 _Dear Skyler,_

 _I thought I would write a tad more formally this time around, considering it's your birthday. Happy birthday!_

 _I know it sucks that we can't spend it together. But enough with the negatives. Look forward to the future. Think of it, in March we can grab Matthew and do whatever the hell we want. We'll be unstoppable. Until then, stop worrying about us. About the outside world. About everything. Live in the moment._

 _Leave behind the magic world, but not the magic. Duh. Enjoy your time with Charlie, Bella too- if you can. We'll be here waiting. Enjoy your day._

 _Love, Katie. XO_

My fingers trailed along the birthday letter for a few moments. A big weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It felt like I could breathe again.

"Mh-hm, happy birthday indeed."

The first order of business was placing the journal down on the locker. I tapped the wand against the top. I watched as it slowly took on the background image of the locker's counter top. I revelled in the free use of magic and the joy that coursed through me for a couple of moments until more pressing matters came to mind.

 _Protection_.

Just as I was about to go out the front door, Bella pulled back the fridge's door and look at me like I had grown two sets of heads.

"Where you going, Skyler?" she asked, closing the door to look at me.

"Just looking at the snow," I answered. At the frown, I got in return, I sighed. "Have you looked outside, Bella? It's picture perfect."

"My idea of a nightmare, I'm guessing," she said, looking back into the fridge.

I quickly closed the front door behind me before she asked any more questions.

Charlie's cruiser was gone and I made a mental note to cast the same protection spell on that as I was about to do on the house. I walked around the house, stopping at each window and door for emphasis, muttering, " _Cave inimicum_."

The skyward motion of the wand let a slight colourless haze circle the house. With an oomph, the ground solidified the smoke then vanished, indicating the charm had worked.

"Got your fill of snow?" Bella asked, looking amused as I wiped down the snow from my pyjama bottoms.

I shrugged. "For the morning, _maybe_. I might need one more fix before going to school."

"You look," she trailed off, inspecting me from head to toe. "Good. Happy? It's nice to see you this way Skyler. You should smile more often."

"You looked equally as beaming," I returned, munching on the cereal she placed on the table. "Why are you in a good mood? There's snow outside. It's a winter wonderland. I thought you would hate that."

A flush covered her cheeks. "It's stupid."

"Maybe it is," I replied, looking to her expectantly. "Who cares?"

"He made me feel _stupid_. Then he left for a week. Then he was almost charming with this perfect lopsided smile," Bella ranted, with her eyes glazed over. "Edward Cullen and his stupid smile is bad for my thought process. He flips it over and twists it to his own vision."

"He was pretty hostile." I fed myself another mouthful. "He might be angelic looking, Bella. That doesn't mean something else doesn't lurk beneath the surface. Please, don't seek something from him. Anything."

"Sometimes you can be so deep and meaningful," she said, mostly to herself.

I shrugged. "Hopefully it's not wasted on you."

Bella nodded, looking very confused by my statement. "Also, he's way out of my league."

She clamped a hand over her mouth after that comment, clearly a slip-up. I decided to ignore it. Her anxiety over vampires? I could deal with. Help with, even. Her lack of confidence at eight o'clock in the morning-on my birthday? _No thank you._

I held Bella up as we made our way toward the truck. Shoving her to the side, my body made its way into the driver's seat. Her driving today of all days was an accident waiting to happen. Honestly, she looked more relieved than angry.

"Can you at least admit, Edward is in a league of his own?" Bella questioned, a couple of minutes into the drive. "Compare him to Eric or Mike."

"Look wise, sure," I placated, hoping she heard my words. "Personality? They are way ahead of him."

The drive to school went smoothly. Whatever Charlie did with the truck clearly made a difference compared to the previous day. Bella nearly slid the truck off the road.

Ever since realising the trace was off, I kept the wand handy inside the sleeve of my jacket. Now, I did not have to worry about the ministry turning up and whoever controlled them, if I had to protect myself from vampires.

Though the idea seemed more unlikely as days went on. However, I felt more secure with the knowledge that I could in fact use it without consequence.

I hopped out of the truck and heard an ugly squelch beneath my boot. Shifting it upwards, I saw pink chewing gum stuck to the end of it. I leaned against the nearest car as I tried scraping it off by rubbing it against the random car's tires.

Hearing a faint laugh, I glanced up on time to see Rosalie glancing from my face to the boot and back up to my face. Her expression was the most care-free I had ever seen it.

Then it morphed into something of a blank look, like she realised what she was doing. Then utter disdain clouded her features, which made me turn back around.

Vampires and their mood swings.

"Nope! Not today. Not on my birthday."

"Ah Charlie," Bella whispered, catching my attention.

I smiled at her show of emotion, her appreciation for Charlie's work- the chains he put on the tires. Despite the fact, she seemed to be obsessed with Edward, one portion of her life began to improve. Her family life.

I had been walking toward Bella when I heard a high-pitched screech- making us both jump.

A dark blue van skidded, tires locked and squealed against the brakes. It spun wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of Bella's truck, and she stood between them.

Just as the truck was about to have a fatal impact, the wand slipped from my sleeve into my hand and I whispered harshly, " _Flipendo!_ "

Everyone heard the crunch of van folding around the 'truck'. The spell was supposed to knock it backwards, but it halted the speeding truck with brute force. I guess if it did the job, I did not mind.

Not sparing a glance toward anyone, I jumped over the truck's bonnet until I squeezed in beside Bella. Her face was a picture of shock, her hand trailed over the huge dent in the truck, her expression dazed.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, I said, "Bella..."

"...What? How am I still alive?"

Spells were coming out of my mouth before I even processed them. " _Muffilato_ ," I whispered, knowing that basically a bubble that no hearing could penetrate was formed. "Listen to me, Bella. Look at me? _Confundo_."

Bella glanced up at me after shuddering. "What happened?"

"Oh. The truck hit you." I realised that there was a rather hefty dent with no dead body. I needed to do something and quick. "Look. uh, head wounds bleed a lot, right? Don't freak out? _Sectumsempra_."

A sword like slice itched itself down Bella's temple. Her eyes stared up at me in horror. I blinked at my mistake. I cast the confusion spell before purposely injuring her.

Letting out a quiet groan, I contemplated doing the confundus charm again, but the consequences could have been severe, doing it twice in a row.

Her entire sane thought could be removed in a blink of an eye

"You-ah, what?" She blinked a few times. "Did you just..."

"Bella. I think you have a concussion."

Her hand raised to the bleeding wound. "Yeah, I must do."

"But you're alive," I breathed out, trying to reassure myself.

She tried to get up, but whacked her head against the truck. "Ow. There's a stick."

I eyed the stick in question. "Yes, yes there is."

"You cut me with it."

"Uh, no." I placed it up my sleeve. "I mean, there's no stick, Bella. You're very confused. Concussed, remember?"

"Concussed," she repeated, nodding her head only to hiss in pain.

"I'm really sorry, Bella."

She pursed her lips. "I'm concussed."

"Yeah, uh." I pointed my wand at her. " _Stupfey_."

The girl was knocked out cold.

Finally, people found us. They had managed to move Bella's truck and had a clear pathway to us. Tears streamed down their faces and I let out a tiny scoff. We had been at the school for less than a couple of weeks. We were nothing to them.

"Get Tyler," someone shouted. "Don't just stand there, help him!"

Oh yeah. Him. Okay, him they could cry over.

I let myself be carried out of the disaster zone and onto the ambulance, even though I had no injuries. I kept my eyes trained on the vampires. The large one, Emmett had Jasper in a head lock. Edward slowly walked, like he stalked something and _something_ in me snapped at the sight.

Of course, they were going crazy. _Blood._

All my actions and thought processes in the last few minutes were beyond stupid.

Maybe what I did next was also stupid, but oh so worth it.

I gripped the wand and hissed, " _Locomtor Mortis_."

Edward's legs clamped together like sticks glued together. The surprise on his face was evident as he fell. A purple hazed blended into the air as it oozed out from beneath the blanket thrown over me.

And to think if this had happened the previous day, both Bella and I would probably be dead. Well no, I would have repeated my actions, but I would most likely be taken away as a prisoner. _Then_ killed.

Swinging my legs back and forth, I watched as Rosalie basically pushed through the paramedics to get to me, which honestly surprised me.

Once she stood in front me of, her eyes scanned my body up and down. "Are you all right, Skyler?"

"Yeah." I watched Bella being transported in the distance, a weird sense of guilt hit me once I saw the blood. "I'm perfectly fine."

The paramedics lifted the unconscious body onto a gurney and made their way toward the second ambulance. She wore a neck brace, which I knew was not needed, but it still scared me. Bella could have needed it.

"You're fine." Her shoulders tensed as Bella was placed onto the ambulance beside us. "Bella's injuries looked minor."

"I hope so," I said, chewing on my bottom lip. "Why are you here, talking to me, Rosalie? We're not friends."

Her jet-black eyes continued to watch me. "I know that," she snapped. Her jaw locked. "I don't understand it. What happened, that is. Now's not exactly the time for a back and forth, I suppose."

"Probably not, no," I conceded, still confused. "I guess we're both confused."

For a couple of seconds, we both just studied each other, waiting for the other to crack.

"I'm sorry, can you please stay lying on the gurney?" A paramedic forced me to lie back down and attached medical equipment I did not care to look at to me. "I'm afraid your friend can't join us in here. You can meet us at the hospital, ma'am."

Rosalie took a step backwards, nodding firmly.

I let my gaze wander to her siblings, who still looked murderous. "You should probably check on your brother. He looks squeamish."

Her eyes snapped to mine just before the ambulance door closed.

The paramedic talked to his co-worker, whispering some medical jargon that I failed to pay attention to. My thoughts were with the vampires. I heard stories about vampires in general. They were addicts, the thought of blood was supposed to drive them into a frenzy.

Jasper Hale, he seemed consumed by it, while his 'siblings' had moderate control.

Rosalie stood next to Bella and for some reason, I had not worried about her snacking on the unconscious girl. That thought scared me.

My body shuddered and the buzz that coursed through me a few hours prior started again, this time weaker. Magic became associated with 'danger' in my brain for the past year. The excessive usage of it drained me. I had to build of my stamina, again.

So, when my eyes drifted shut, I was not all that surprised.

When I woke up my head throbbed, but that was to be expected. What I did not expect was to wake up wearing a stupid hospital gown. I growled and got off the bed, hearing Tyler's constant apologies to Bella who grew terser with her answers.

I pulled back her curtain and stuck my head in. "Hi Bella."

"Skyler," she said, eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

"Er." I was expecting a stampede of questions as to why I 'knifed' her. I cleared my throat. "Yes, I'm fine."

Tyler craned his neck around the curtain. "I'm really sorry, Skyler."

"It's okay." I pulled the curtain so he could not see in. "So, Bella, what's the verdict? Where's Charlie and the doctors? Ew. You have stitches."

At her unamused look, I frowned.

"I mean, _ow_. You have stitches."

"Better," she said. "I'm fine. Maybe a little drowsy. I'm sorry, I forgot what else you asked. How are you?"

I opened my mouth to respond but the curtains pulled back and in stepped a doctor. Blonde, movie star handsome with an extra touch of perfect. Charlie's description had been spot on.

"Ms. Harris, I've had my nurses in a panic looking for you," Dr. Cullen said, cocking an eyebrow up. "If you please, follow me."

Walking back to my cubicle and sitting on the bed, I said, "I'm fine. Not a scratch on me."

If anything, the eyebrow raised higher. "I've noticed. However, a quick physical exam to be sure would be nice, wouldn't you agree?"

"I guess," I said, only agreeing because he had a look in his eye said he would pest me until I agreed. "Do your worst."

He flashed a smile. "Now that's the opposite of what we want."

After doing a quick check up, the normal 'follow my finger, stare into this light', type of thing, he went back to Bella. Apparently, she needed an x-ray. I was almost sure nothing was broken and she had not been hit, but it was better safe than sorry.

Bella's protests were heard across the ward, claiming she was fine had did not have a concussion, before she promptly blacked out.

A few seconds later a bed was rolled by my cubicle with laughing nurses, not too concerned over Bella's dramatic exit.

"Ah, sorry to disturb you again, Ms. Harris," Doctor Cullen said, re-entering the cubicle. "It appears that two of my children- like many others in the waiting room refuse to leave. They're quite head strong. Would you mind?"

Eyeing him wearily, I slowly shook my head. "Sure."

A flash of blonde walked by the cubicle, whispering harshly to whoever stood behind the curtain. The next thing I knew, the curtain was ripped open and in came Rosalie.

Her face was stone-cold as she stood at the end of the bed.

"You're here."

"Yes," she said, voice hard. Then she dropped something blue onto the bed. "Here, you may take my biology notes."

I swallowed down a laugh at the random act. "Okay?"

"We're not friends," she repeated, looking at me directly to ensure that I understood that. "But, you look pitiful. Pathetic, even. The idea of you whining to me every day sounds torturous."

Smiling wryly, I took the book and flipped it open. I teased, "Well, this was thoughtful of you."

"No, do not mistake my intentions," she said, eyes glowering now. "This is only to prevent my own misery."

"Selfish intentions with a good outcome?" I looked down to the fancy writing. "Best birthday gift ever."

"Happy birthday," she offered. "It's certainly one to remember."

"Yes, the presents are awesome this year."

She scoffed and sat primly in the chair beside my bed. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Probably," I answered, shrugging. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

Her posture remained the same, rigid. I wanted to shake her loose.

Rosalie's eyes fixated on mine and answered in the same tone, "Probably."


	6. STALKERS AND THEIR CONFRONTATIONS

My alarm went off, waking me up. Most mornings it took me fifteen minutes to gain the incentive to wake up, never mind get out of bed. However, my goal involved me waking up before the sun rose each morning and I was committed.

Pulling the journal onto my lap, I began to fire through many questions that plagued my mind.

 _Dear Matthew,_

 _Thanks for the birthday wishes. Now, I have a very important question that you or your parents might be able to answer. I have the potion for the Amimagus process, but the leaf of madrak- the one that spent a whole bloody month in my_ mouth _, was not added. I did this before we left school, remember? I have it in a container._

 _If I add it now, would it work for the next lightning storm, or the one after that? Would the potion work or will I need to repeat the madrak process?_

 _I've just started the incitement. I know it can takes months/years and not to get my hopes up. Blah. I know I 'have to' register or risk being sent to Askaban too. But, we're already hiding away. Might as well cease the day and all that, right?_

 _Anyway, that's my question. Looking forward to your visit. We'll have to choose another location to meet up, just in case._

 _Love,-S_

 _(Ps, this is one of those times you burn the page.)_

After writing my questions for Matthew, I stood by the window and watched as the sun rose. Looking at such a sight every day would somehow soothe the soul- it was that beautiful.

The wand was placed over my heart and I chanted, " _Amato Amino Animato Animagus_."

I opened the window and stuck my head out, enjoying the breeze that whooshed inside. My eyes closed, feeling peaceful- for once in the past few months.

The feeling was short-lived when I glanced to my right, only to see Edward Cullen looking confused, perched outside Bella's window. My mouth gaped open when the protection spell did its job and gave him a new purpose, other than invading my _home._

Gripping my wand, I watched as he jumped from the window and scurried away like a rat into the night.

"What the hell," I whispered. "What the hell. What the hell. What the freaking hell?"

Two hours later, Bella walked around like a zombie. There were dark circles beneath her eyes and honestly, I felt bad for her. No wonder her sleep had grown so restless- she had a stalker watching her most vulnerable position each night for goodness knows how long.

The drive to school was silent. Bella had been quiet for a few days now, at first I thought it was because she remembered me knocking her out, but she glared at her vampire crush every chance she got- he in return did not pay much attention to her stares. In fact, he pretended she did not exist.

"Bella," I said, as soon as the truck stopped outside the school.

Her sunken eyes glanced toward me. "Yeah, Skyler?"

"Edward's still ignoring you, right?" I asked, noting that behind the firm nod she gave back, she was sad. "It's for the best. It truly is."

"Why do you always remind me of the bad things," she mumbled, opening the car and slamming the door.

I climbed out after and sucked in a deep breath. "I don't intend to, not this time anyway. Just, I've heard some uh, creepy things about him. I don't want you caught up in that creep-fest."

"What creepy things?" she asked, disbelief clear in her voice. "And why do you care?"

I shuddered at the vision of him lurking around the house. "I'm not heartless. Plus, I don't want to find you chopped up in pieces in the forest. One, he stares at people while playing with voodoo dolls with this manic look in his eyes."

"Right, drama queen," Bella said, chuckling. "You said things. Plural. What else?"

"He's like a cat, you know how they rub themselves to mark their home territory?" I asked, Bella nodded, looking weirded out. "Well he does that to random _cars_. Trucks too."

Bella snorted. "Yeah, right. I'm just going to go. You're weird today."

"I'm not, but okay. Bye!" I yelled after her. "Keep up with the ignoring thing!"

She glanced over her shoulder, frowning. "It's not exactly my choice?"

"Still," I said, shrugging innocently. "Good job. Keep it up!"

Walking around the hallways, people whispered and always seemed to stop when I passed by them. It had gone on since the accident. Apparently, throwing myself in with Bella, meant that I wanted the attention that came with being injured.

People perceiving it that way surprisingly did not bother me all that much. My reckless behaviour deserved a constant reminder of the importance of staying _low._ That, was not staying low. That, was bad judgement on my part- the way I conducted my spells, the way I performed under pressure was not acceptable.

So, no. People whispering about me did not bother me. What they symbolised, did.

Pursing my lips, I rounded the corner of the biology hall and whacked into something hard.

I took a step back and looked up. "Oh. Sorry."

The largest vampire grinned. "That was probably my fault. No big deal."

"Well, okay then." I went to leave but he blocked my way. "I'm not in the mood. Can you move?"

"In a second, I promise," Emmett said, licking his lips. "I want to say, well, I'm sorry for my brother's behaviour. He kind of sucks right now, you know?"

I nodded along, wondering what he referred to exactly. "Well, not that I don't appreciate your acknowledgement, maybe say that to Bella. I don't care for Eddie."

"I know," he said, snorting. Then he moved to the side. "I thought at least one of us should say something."

"Right. Good talk."

I nodded again and entered the classroom. For once, since the time I had attended the school, I was the last one to class. Normally my poker face did just that, concealed my emotions, but one glance in Edward's direction made my blood boil.

My hands yanked the stool away from the desk and I shifted in my seat, deciding that all vampires sucked. Their lack of respect for privacy just reminded me that since I had my magic back, I could go and get my belongings from my parents' home. More importantly, stock up on the books in the library.

Preparation was needed, just in case Edward's stalker tendencies amplified.

My teeth ground together when Bella greeted Edward, but was rebuffed. Whether it was Bella that ignored my advice, or the blank look on Eddie boy's face, I was angry. I did not know what or who did the job, but I was.

"Green doesn't suit you," my seating partner said, sounding way too amused.

I tore my glare away from Edward and set it on Rosalie who did not seem all that perturbed. "Which one do you think I'm jealous of?"

" _Which one_ ," she said, repeating the words as if trying to decipher them. "Isn't it obvious? She is _your_ Bella. Edward has her attention whilst ignoring her existence. You live with her and hold no connection."

Watching as Edward's hands clamped around the table, I shook my head. "Here," I said, fishing out her biology notes. "I've got them transcribed. Thank you."

She pulled the notes toward her and murmured, not sounding all that sorry, "I touched a nerve."

"No," I said, fighting back a laugh at the vampire relishing in her assumed dig. "You really haven't."

"Denial for a while is common, healthy even," Rosalie continued as if I had not spoken. "Your mind may not be the best place after it overstays its welcome. It's best to push it aside and focus on something else. Something _new_."

"Speaking of overstaying their welcome." I said, glancing at her. At that, she stiffened, then moved back, obviously interpreting my words differently than I intended. "Your brother, Eddie. He's lucky that I don't have proof, otherwise I would have told my guardian, you know, the chief of police."

The golden haze of her eyes slowly died- morphing into steady black. "Explain."

"Has he always had the tendency to stalk the people he ignores?"

Edward crushed his table's edge, his body swiftly turned until he faced me. A look of murderous rage flashed in his eyes.

His body inched forward, aware of the girl beside him. He whispered too low for Bella to hear, "What are you accusing me of?"

The body beside me stiffened even further. I tried my best to ignore the hum of a growl in the back of Rosalie's throat, because yes, I was not that stupid to insult a vampire who had back up.

"I'm not accusing," I whispered back, tapping my nails against the desk. "Just next time you wander outside my house, if you see a flash? That's my camera. Back out of my personal space. You're reinforcing my judgement."

He glared. "And what's that?"

"You're practically foaming at the mouth," I pointed out, pulling my own face away. "Shaking too- like you refraining from hitting a _girl_."

My mind was screaming for me to shut up- but my defence mechanism kept shining through. Humour- and taunts flew out of my mouth.

When Edward's teeth curled back and a shiny substance slid from his teeth, a hand clamped down on his shoulder and shoved him backwards. Then of course there was some sort of silent communication between the vampires as they booth stood, staring each other down.

"Back off, Edward," Rosalie snapped.

"Is there a problem here?" Mr. Banner asked, glancing between the pair apprehensively. "Just, sit down before I send you to the principal's office."

The pair took their seats after another tense few seconds.

Edward inclined his head. "Apologies, Mr. Banner."

"Yes," Rosalie said through gritted teeth, seeming to find it harder to gain control. After she looked at Edward with a death glare, she said, "It won't happen again. Right, Edward?"

He twisted in his seat, ignoring Rosalie's words.

Bella glanced at me as if to say 'What the hell'.

"Told you," I mouthed, making her shift away from Edward.

I went to the library during lunch to avoid three things; Edward's glare boring into the side of my head. Two, also Rosalie's glare. Three, Bella's questions.

Flipping the journal open, I read Matthew's response.

 _Skyler,_

 _If it was in there for a month, it should be fine. Add it in. You know I can't answer that question, if it will work or not. You could do the proper process and it might not work, no matter how many storms you wait for and how many potions and incitements you do._

 _You're right. We're criminals for existing. Do whatever, safely._

 _Yeah, two weeks' time I plan to make my way down. I think Katie might be too. You can collect her though. I know, no meetups in our place of living. Mom drilled that rule into me._

 _See you, soon. -M_

I smiled down at the parchment. Matthew was the type of friend who did not communicate much through letters or phones, not that we could do either at the moment as they were tracked. Despite the lack of communication, we were that type of friends to pick right up where we left off.

One moment I was lost in my own world, reminiscing about the times with Katie and Matthew and the next, Edward had ripped the journal from my grasp and stood over me, hanging it over my head.

"Let's continue our, talk, shall we?"

I motioned toward the seat opposite me. "Threats don't bode well with me. Hand back the journal. Then we can talk."

"No, I think I'll keep this for a while." He sat down in the requested seat and kept an eye on me. "I came here to explain myself. I realise how it must have looked. I was not stalking, Bella. I assure you."

"Your assurance doesn't mean much when there's a problem with this conversation already."

He tilted his head to the side. "What's that?"

"You withhold a possession of mine whilst claiming innocence for another action of yours."

"That is true." He tossed the journal back to me, it landed perfectly on my lap. "I apologise. Now, I do not _claim_ innocence. I am innocent."

I leaned forward on my chair. "Then, what were you doing?"

"Merely participating in patrols for the neighbourhood watch," he answered confidently, smiling carelessly. "Like I said, innocent. I only wish for the well-being of my neighbours. Is that so bad?"

"Where do you think, I saw you, Edward?"

"Patrolling beside the forest line," he said, easily. "I don't see why you're judging me this harshly, Skyler. It's seems to me, someone's paranoid."

I stood up, gripping the journal until my fingers grew white. "Right. Nice chat, Edward."

"That's it?"

I glanced over my shoulder. "Oh, I forgot. Stay away from Bella. I'm saying that because I'm _paranoid_."

After school, I caught a ride with Angela instead of getting a ride home with Bella. My head throbbed and it put me in a foul mood, along with all that vampire drama that happened that day. I contemplated a trip back to Ireland that evening as Angela pulled up to the house.

Then I realised that would be an excessive usage of magic that would probably knock me out cold once I got there. There and then, I planned to build up my usage. It needed to be done before March, regardless of the ways I planned to use it in the meantime.

"Hope you feel better soon," Angela said, smiling at me. "Have a four-hour nap or something.

I laughed, opening the car door. "Same. Maybe four and a half. Who knows? I might treat myself."

In my haste to get inside out of the rain, I did not notice the silver Volvo parked in the driveway, hidden behind Charlie's cruiser.

"Hit me with headache tablets, stat," I ordered whoever was in the kitchen.

Charlie cleared his throat from the table, making me glance over. My mouth opened to repeat myself, but my eyes caught sight of Rosalie, sitting at the kitchen table beside Charlie. A hint of a smile played on her lips, as if she knew her presence alone would drive me crazy.

"What's wrong? Where have, those manners gone, Skyler?" Charlie joked, glancing back at Rosalie with a blush. "Your friend is here, I don't think you mentioned being friends with one of the Cullens?"

I scrunched up my nose. "I'm not."

"Skyler!"

Rosalie stood up, smiling politely at Charlie. "It's fine, sir. I'm only here to drop off some biology notes. Maybe I can help Skyler go over the notes? It was an interesting class, today."

"Oh no, that's okay-"

"Were you not in class, Skyler?" Charlie asked, scrutinising me.

"Oh, no sir," Rosalie said, her laugh enchanted him. "She had that headache."

Charlie went to the cupboard and handed me tablets along with a glass of water. "It must be a bad one."

"Yeah, it's _really_ annoying," I agreed, looking pointedly at Rosalie. "Let's get this over and done with."

I trudged up to my bedroom. Rosalie followed. Once inside, my eyes trailed across the room for anything out of the ordinary. Spotting the vile for the potion that I inspected earlier that day, I plucked it from its position beside the window and clasped it into my hands.

Rosalie did not seem to notice, she was too busy scanning the rest of my room.

Once done, she made herself comfortable on the computer chair. "Before you say anything, I realise that two people from my family invading your personal space in the time span of a few hours may cause you distress."

"Aren't you a smart cookie." I sat on the edge of my bed, smiling at the growl I got for my remark. "Go on then, tell me why you're really here."

"Well, I wasn't lying about the biology notes," she said, nodding her head toward the notebook.

I closed my eyes. "Usually I wouldn't mind bickering with you or whatever it is that we do, but I have a headache and I'm tired."

"Right," she muttered, eyes avoiding mine. "I just want to make some things clear. I believe you deserve some explanations."

"I think it's Bella that really needs them."

Rosalie's lips curled up into a displeased pursing. "I am not like my brother. I did, manage to inform Bella that I was coming here when I could not find you. I did not show up unannounced."

"Congratulations, you have common decency."

She looked up to the ceiling as if to control her anger. "I also wanted to inform you that you won't have to worry about Edward any more. He's been dealt with."

"That sounds suspiciously vague," I commented, not all that surprised.

She turned her face toward the window, by the uplift of her cheek, I knew she smiled. "It did, didn't it?"

"Mh-hm."

When her eyes took in the vile, she frowned. "What's that?"

"A secret," I replied, fidgeting with it in my hand.

"A secret," she repeated, looking at it dubiously. "I don't tend to associate myself with people who collect unknown liquids for fun."

A laugh escaped me at her twitching nose. "Well, you know where the door is then."

"I do. I will use it," she declared standing up. Then, with a slow movement, she sat by me on the bed. "Right after you learn these notes."

"Why are you helping me again?"

"My seating partner's reputation reflects on the perception of my work ethic," she automatically replied, not missing a beat. "I won't let you drag me down."

That's how I found myself for the first time ever, studying biology successfully for hours on end.

 **Thank you for those who reviewed. I'm really enjoying writing this and your feedback makes me smile, so kudos to you. :) I would also like to point out that I plan to go back and edit the spelling mistakes and any grammar errors. This is just a fun project at the minute. Once it's finished, I'll get into the nitty gritty of editing.**


	7. BEST LAID PLANS GO AWRY

The next day, smiling pleasantly, I walked around the school. People who caught sight of my face took a second glance, because who smiled that hard on a school day with an out-pour of rain that trapped everyone inside? The buildings and their walls made for a perfect educational jail block.

Even the dark cloud that always seemed to loom over Bella could not whack my smile upside down.

"Hey, Tyler!" I called, just before he turned a corner.

He stopped walking. When he noticed it was me, he smiled. "Hey, Skyler, actually I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Oh?" My own reasoning for finding him was put aside in favour of curiosity. "You can go first. The floor's yours."

"Sure," he agreed, flashing me a smile. "Go to the spring dance with me?"

Surprised by the question, I stumbled backwards until his hand reached out to keep me steady. His grin did not waver, instead he seemed proud of the reaction he got, which made me feel a little bit guilty. What I was about to say next did not twist the conversation to his favour.

"Actually, I won't be in town for the spring dance. I've been planning a meet up with old friends," I informed him. "I'm sorry, Tyler."

"Oh. From your old school?" he asked. When I nodded he smiled a little. "That sounds nice. You must miss them."

"It is and I do," I agreed. "I know this is going to sound awful, but I need you to ask Bella to the dance."

He grinned. "Done."

"No questions?"

"Nope. I'll ask her. Don't you worry." He flicked my nose. "You're a good friend, Skyler."

I held back a laugh at his optimistic attitude. "Of course, I am."

"I'll let you know how it goes," he said, turning on his heels. "Don't worry! I'll have my dance with you. Someday!"

For a second I thought he was serious, but when he began to walk backwards and winked at me, I knew he was only messing around. With a wave, I went to class.

My high spirits continued. If I paid more attention to people when they spoke to me, I could have predicted Tyler's question. Even if I noticed their facial expressions, it would have helped with the predictions so I would not be taken back as much.

Once sat down at the biology table, I tapped random rhythms onto the table. When Edward sat down and glared at me, the intervals between the tapping became shorter, making the vampire's fists clench.

Then Bella sat down and faced me, ignoring the vampire who did not dare look in her direction.

"Skyler," she said, smiling a little. "I forgot to ask you this morning, but I was thinking of finding a book-store after school?"

"Oh." I vaguely recalled agreeing to that. "I can't today, I'll probably be staying over at a friend's house tonight. Can we do it another time?"

Bella studied my face. "You're not just blowing me off?"

"No, not this time," I said, watching as Bella's face pinched up. "We'll go soon. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," she said, turning back around in her chair.

Rosalie walked into the classroom with as much grace as she always did. It looked like her feet just flew across the ground.

At first, when she sat beside me, she silently fumed whilst glaring daggers at my hand. She looked like she wanted to rip the hand clean off my arm, but then she noticed her brother's silent rage and a twisted smile formed on her face.

"Are you that confident about the test?" Rosalie eventually asked, starting the conversation between us. At my questioning face she said, "You're smiling."

That did manage to stop my tapping, only for a moment. "There's a test today? I knew that I forgot something."

"Tell me you're not serious." Her eyes bored into mine. Eventually she saw the truth and inhaled deeply. "We studied for hours. Why else did you think we spent that much time on it? I suppose it doesn't matter. You'll do fine."

"Awe. Aren't you so caring," I said, slowly pushing my chair back at the sharp look I got. "I mean, oh. Your reputation shall continue to reign onward. You must be so relieved."

She did smile, briefly at that. "Yes, I am actually."

That was then Mr. Banner decided to hand out the testing paper. With a quick scan of the sheet and finding that some answers came to me without much of a strain, I continued to smile.

After answering the last question on the biology test, a test I was sure that I did okay in, which in my book was not good enough, it did not dampen my mood. If anything, I could plot plans for the day.

"No one's that happy after a test," Rosalie commented, after watching me for a few minutes. "Yesterday, you complained for hours. What are you so happy about?"

"Did you take into account that I was happy before the test too?"

She considered that for a moment. "I did see you smiling."

"So, you admit you are wrong?" I asked, chewing on my inner cheek to stop my smile from transforming into a full-blown grin. "I think this friendship of ours is progressing in a healthy manner. Don't you think?"

"I thought you said we weren't friends," she said, ignoring the first statement with a raised eyebrow, as if challenging me.

Placing my chin on my open palm, I said, "Well, did you refute that claim, Ms. Hale?"

"No," she answered reluctantly, through gritted teeth. "I did not."

"So," I dragged out, mostly teasing, "quit placing the blame on me for something that was poor judgement on both our parts."

Her nose twitched, which I noticed she only did when she was confused or did not know what to say. This little movement alone made the transition from smile to grin way too easy. When she noticed, she exhaled heavily and copied my position.

This position left us both able to stare at each other's faces. She made no move to hide the fact that she studied every portion of my face, from my chin, to the freckle above my lip, to my eyes, then she stopped and held my stare.

The one thing I envied about her was the fact she could hide what she thought, unless she wanted you to know what she was thinking- which was usually never. It was the reason why I did not dare let myself inspect her entirely. From glances I knew her beauty was more than just a vampire effect.

The only part of her I allowed myself the pleasure of looking at were her eyes.

"Fine. Let's try this friendship thing," she allowed, eyes shifting to glance at her brother for a moment. She wore a scowl after. "How hard can it be?"

"That's the spirit," I said, not thinking when I patted her rock-hard shoulder. "Just a little commitment and we'll be the best of friends."

Her scowl only deepened at my remark. "What? We'll have sleepovers and braid each other's hair?"

"Shh." I removed my hand from my face and watched as the clock ticked on. "For the record, I can't do anything with your hair other than tug on it randomly." Also, you cannot sleep. "You can't reveal our best friend activities to everyone. They might get jealous."

A wicked grin formed on her face. After a quick glance toward her brother's table, she said, "You're right, they might."

Then the bell rang. The students were quick out of the classroom. However, I knew I needed to take longer than normal to pack up my stuff. Rosalie glanced at me curiously, but she did in fact leave the room. Edward and Bella soon followed.

When I caught Edward murmuring to Bella as they left the room, my drive to fulfil my plans for the day only heightened.

Mike dropped his pen in his haste to pack. I quickly scooped it up.

"Thanks," he muttered, looking flushed.

When he went to take it back, I pulled backwards. "Not yet. What's the rush?"

"Um." He looked around. "Our next class?"

I nodded my head, pulling back once again. "You see, I can't let you go, until I speak to you."

"Oh?" His eyes seemed to brighten about that. "You can- uh. You can talk to me. I didn't think you liked me," he admitted, with an embarrassed shrug. "You seem to walk in the opposite direction when you see me."

"Did I?" I asked, putting on a confused face.

"You kinda did. Yeah."

"Well," I dragged out, pretending to be put out. "I hope you don't think me asking you this will appear like I'm using you."

He began to smile largely, with a knowing glint in his eyes. "I won't. Ask away. Ask me."

"I need you to take Bella to the dance."

His smile dropped. "What?"

"Thank you for doing this for me, Mike." I dropped the pen onto the table and took a couple of steps backward. "I'm sure you will have a splendid time. If anything, I'm doing you a favour."

"You are?"

"Yes, Mike," I answered slowly, with a dramatic sigh. "The word on the street is Jessica plans to ask you. If we're being honest? I think Bella's more your type."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's girls' choice."

"Gender is just a social construction." I waved off his worries. "Switch up the roles and make it your own, Mike."

After I said that, he began to splutter and that was my cue to exit. It only took me a second to make the decision to not participate in the physical education class, again. Although I did not expect a figure to be standing right outside of the classroom- which made me jump out of my skin.

Rosalie, in all her glory, stood leaned against the wall laughing. Not chuckling or mocking anyone. Her eyes were the lightest that I had seen them.

After she calmed down she said, "I misjudged you, Skyler."

"That's what happens when you make assumptions," I said, trying not to smile when her lips twitched. "I have a few more people to talk to, you should probably get to class."

"I think this can be one of our ah, best friend activities," she said lightly.

Noting her gleaming eyes, I began to walk. "You either hate your own brother or Bella. My guess would be Edward because have you even spoken to her? I guess it doesn't matter. Either way you can help me persuade some suiters."

Rosalie let out a non-committal hum as she followed beside me. "I could ask you the same question. You spoke to Edward once."

"Twice," I corrected, scrunching up my nose.

"When was the second time?"

Not paying much attention to her tone, I answered, "During lunch yesterday, I never pegged him for the- you know what? He's your brother. You might be a little angry and play some mean pranks on him, but tomorrow you'll forget all about that."

"And you?" she asked. "Will you forget about it tomorrow?"

I shook my head. "Even if he is my friend's brother, that doesn't mean I can't be creeped out by his behaviour. It's not normal."

"That's a no."

"I don't mean to offend you, Rosalie," I said sincerely. "Typically, stalkers need professional help." I opened the door to the physical education hall. "In the meantime, people could get hurt."

Rosalie stared blankly at the wall opposite us. "You mean Bella?"

"Well, she is the target of his late-night stalking," I said, trying to read her, but ultimately failed. "I'm taking it we disagree. Let's move onto brighter subjects, such as Eric. Eric is my next target."

Rosalie nodded her head slowly. "You're not smiling any more."

I flashed her a smile. "I will be when I hear how Bella reacts. You'll smile too, even if it's just basking in someone else's torture."

"I don't understand why you want Bella to have a date to the dance," Rosalie said, waving a hand in Eric's direction. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Is this not a plan to have her?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I questioned, watching as Eric stumbled over his own laces. "Oh. You really jump to your own conclusions, don't you? The point in this little project is to keep Edward from asking her. He might be ignoring her now, for some reason unbeknownst to me, but he'll change his mind. Bella won't say no."

"You really don't like Edward." Rosalie seemed deep in thought for a few moments. "What did he say to you? The second time?"

I slumped down on the ground, not even attempting to get close to Eric. At that point, the vampire seemed to want to talk about Edward and Bella. I had a feeling that if she wanted something to happen, she was the type to make it happen.

Rosalie eyed the floor disdainfully, making sure I knew of her contempt by sending me the same exact look.

After another glance at the ground, she walked away.

I clicked my tongue, watching her go. "Well, that wasn't rude at all."

Rosalie was not even supposed to be in this class, but the coach was too busy gawking as she strutted across the room like she owned the place to notice that little detail.

Confidence was a peculiar thing.

Already bored sitting down alone, I took out the journal to see if I had any messages.

Sky,

Matty messaged me about the meet up. I agree with him, just come and get me and we'll meet him somewhere in driving distance of him. xo-K

A screech of a chair made me glance up. Rosalie lazily set it beside me and sat down.

"So, what did Edward say to make you this wary?" she asked, eyes focused solely on her nails, as if the conversation was casual.

"Well," I dragged out, purposely. "I'm not going to tell you."

Still looking relaxed she asked, "Why's that?"

"If you get Eric to ask Bella to the dance, then maybe I'll tell you."

"Tell me what he said or tell me why you won't tell me?" she questioned, glancing up at me through her eyelashes. She tutted. "So manipulative, Skyler."

I sighed and skimmed through the journal, deciding that I could not look at her when she looked so coy. "You pay attention to small details."

Glancing toward Eric who happened to be staring right at the vampire, a slow grin formed on her face. "I'm only doing this because I want to. Not because you asked me to or bribed me with answers."

"Kay."

Once Eric noticed Rosalie walking toward him, a roaring blush formed on his face. He kept glancing between Mike and her, like he expected her to suddenly change direction.

Rosalie kept her distance from the boy. She said something and he nodded, mouth gaped open. Then she turned on her heels and made her way back over to me, rolling her eyes when she noticed my little-not so well hidden smirk.

"He's going to ask her."

"Good." I stood up. "I need to go home, let me know how it turns out?"

Despite the question in her eyes she did not say it out loud. Instead she sarcastically asked, "Should I send it through pigeon?"

"No, they're not messenger birds, owls are more of-" I stopped talking when I realised she was not serious. I blinked back my little moment of panic. "Ha-ah-ha. Totally joking. Bad joke."

"Mh-hm." A little confused smile grew on her lips. "That was where you were supposed to hand me your phone. I thought you were the friend expert."

I shrugged then handed her my phone. It only took a few seconds as she quickly in putted her number and handed it back.

"Have fun. Just, don't stalk her for the reactions."

She let out a scoff. "As if."

A few hours later I managed to finally get the 'Undetectable Extension Charm' to work on my school bag. Just to test it out, I threw in a huge pile of clothes and kept packing to see if it had any limitations.

It was one of those spells subject to strict Ministry of Magic control because of its potential to create breaches of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. It was not supposed to be used for private matters, but only for certain objects or for certain situations.

As I basically dumped the entirety of my wardrobe from my school-bag, I rocked out to the music that blasted from my earphones.

Then I imagined my old house with my school bag gripped in one hand and the other twisted on the spot. As I was sucked into what felt like a straw, I felt a grip on my free hand and managed to drag the extra weight with me.

A mess of brown hair flew forward and threw up in my old bedroom.

"Bella?" I watched, horrified. "What the hell?"

After wiping her mouth, Bella glanced up. "You just-I ah, where are we?"

"Er-" I motioned toward the window. "You're dreaming. Obviously."

"What are you?"

"A perfectly normal dream girl." I repeated what I said back in my head and winked. "Your dream girl."

At my tone, Bella's face grew awfully pale. She cleared her throat. "I asked you that before. You looked freaked out. Y-you transported us somewhere and that freaky bag held impossible amounts of clothing."

"What did I say before?" I asked, just wanting this whole dance to be over with. "Say it."

"Witch," she whispered. "You're a witch."

Then, Bella promptly passed out, somehow, she managed to land somewhat onto my old bed. The sight was comical and I continued to grin. Like I said before, even the dark cloud that hovered over Bella Swan's head could not ruin my day.

 **Thanks for the reviews. I'm surprised people have found this story, considering there is hardly any Rosalie/OC stories, as well as the fact it's a HP crossover. Happy new year! Hope you have a fab year ahead of you!**


	8. THE USUAL TEEN ANGST

I managed to drag Bella's body back to the house along with everything else that I had originally planned on bringing back. It was quite the workout. My wardrobe was stuffed with books from my parents' library, as well as other bits and bobs that ended up coming back with us.

Once everything was either hidden or packed away in their correct places, I sat on Bella's bed and contemplated what to do next.

The house was supposed to be empty, with Charlie at work and Bella at school. The plan to get those boys to ask her out and to take up her time for a while after school too, did not pan out that well, in the end.

The truck incident did not go well, at all. However, this situation allowed for time to think. By the time, she woke up, I may have come up with the most suitable solution.

I had a few options; one, let the girl come to her own conclusions and deny anything she said. Two, let out my worst cackle and throw a fake frog into a cauldron, or three, remove a tiny piece of her memory and continue as normal.

"Ugh." Bella groaned when she awoke. "My head…is sore."

I chuckled. "That's what happens when you pass out three times in the time span of a few weeks."

At the sound of my voice, Bella quickly threw the covers off her body and squished her body against the headboard. She studied me from head to toe and I could tell her heart raced as her breathing became laboured.

"I had this weird dream," she admitted, rubbing her eyes. "You were there. I think you flirted with me."

"Sounds like a highly unrealistic dream."

She eyed me weirdly. "Yeah. Then you…" She stopped talking when she noticed what lay on my lap. "That stick, I've seen that somewhere before."

"Yes, you have," I agreed, twirling the wand between my fingers. "I didn't flirt with you. I distracted you. Badly, I'll admit to that. Not flirting. Understood?"

"I don't understand…"

"Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I like every girl, Bella," I said, only joking to ease the tension. "Trust me."

"I know that, Skyler," Bella interrupted, crossing her arms. "I don't understand everything else."

"I know you don't." I sighed, watching her inch further away. "Okay. I want to live in a house that I'm comfortable in. As in, I don't want to have to hide apart of myself every day in fear of being caught."

Bella leaned forward and placed a hand over my own. "Charlie, I mean, dad's not homophobic. Neither am I. I'm sorry if you-"

"No Bella," I said, removing my hand from under hers. "Look, I don't want to make your mind complete mush. You know what I'm talking about. I'm a witch. Now, the question is, how good are you at keeping a secret?"

"Uh." Her forehead creased. "Under threats, I'll guess I'm pretty good."

"Consider yourself threatened." I smiled, which she returned- even if it was in the smallest of manners. "Good talk, Bella."

* * *

The next morning was quiet. The house was usually silent, the people who lived there did not need to talk constantly. Around the kitchen table, Charlie read the newspaper and Bella sat as far away from me as possible. The change in her behaviour toward me was not noticed by Charlie.

The awkward girl fumbled with the truck keys, when she went to unlock it. I let myself smirk as the wand slipped from my sleeve and into my hand. This did not go by unnoticed by Bella who let out a squeal and bent down on her knees with her hands raised above her head.

"You're acting unreasonable," I said, pointing the wand at the door. " _Alohormora_."

The doors of the truck clicked. Not waiting for Bella, I got into the passenger seat and drew my knees up to my chest.

Bella eventually got into the truck. "Unreasonable? I think it's natural for someone to be freaked out."

"How long have you known me?"

"Around five months," she answered, slowly. She started up the engine.

I rolled my eyes. "How long have you known _of_ me?"

"All my life…" Her jaw clenched. "What does that have to do with you being what you are?"

"Nothing I suppose," I said, watching as we bypassed trees. I let the wand sit on the top of my knee and let it move back and forth, hiding a smirk at each flinch. I went to turn the radio on, I sighed when she flinched. "It means, in that time, I haven't done anything to hurt you. Why would I trust you with a secret, if I was going to hurt you?"

She eyed me curiously. "Why _do_ you trust me?"

"I don't," I answered honestly. This made her flustered, muttering gibberish in complaint. "If I really wanted to, I could make you forget."

"Why haven't you done that if you don't trust me?"

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. "I don't agree that I should have that much power over someone. No one should. I will, if I have to, Bella. I don't want to, so please don't make me."

The rest of the ride went smoothly. As soon as the truck stopped in the school's parking lot, the driver ditched the car and the passenger. I was not all that surprised by her need to get away from me, she probably needed to think things over.

In art, the world or multiple worlds that I was a part of, fell away. The destruction of Hogwarts mapped itself on the canvas. The picture was so ghastly, so dark, that the teacher contemplated contacting a guardian.

He knelt by my table and looked at the painting with contempt.

"No, I'm not disturbed, sir," I said, shooting him a sickly-sweet smile, "just highly expressive. The usual teen angst."

"Your outlet suggests otherwise, sweetie."

A girl raised a dainty hand. "It's not my type of…" she trailed off, clearly struggling to find a word, "genre, but it is wonderful."

"It's distasteful," Mr. Greene said, twisting his face so his nose pointed out. "Head to the office. Bring the painting with you."

Without a word, I stood up, ignoring the protests of the girl. When her hand gripped mine, a violet shiver went through my body. It was only then, that I glanced at her. The word _vampire_ kept shouting in my brain.

Alice, let go quickly, noticing my reaction. "It is wonderful, Skyler. Truly inspiring. I would love to see more."

"Have to respect everyone's subjective," I said, scowling at Mr. Greene, who just pointed at the door in response.

People stared as I left the classroom. The whispers suggested that I craved attention. First, the truck incident, now the 'horrid' image that clearly exposed some deep routed trauma? Okay, perhaps it was an illustration that kept reappearing in my dreams, and I may have seen this image first hand, but that did not mean that I was unstable.

The hallways were quiet and empty. The canvas was the size of half my body.

"You keep surprising me, Skyler. That's not an easy thing to do. Believe me."

A white hand flashed out and grabbed the canvas out of my hold. My head snapped to the person. Rosalie Hale leaned casually against the locker.

"Damn, Rosie," I said, bringing a hand up to my heart. "Popping up out of nowhere is really creepy. You do realise that, right?"

"I'm being helpful." She twisted the picture around as she spoke, and studied it with a thoughtful look.

"Creepy," I reiterated and went to get the picture back, but she anticipated my move and took a step down the row of lockers.

A wry grin broke out on her face. "I'm helpful. You on the other hand, are darker than what you let on."

The scowl on my face was replaced with an odd smile. The vampire stood there, with light eyes that scanned the picture from the top to the bottom. One leg was kicked back against the locker. Rosalie's hair dangled by her side, curled like a princess.

I walked away and like expected, she walked by my side a few seconds after.

"I've been sent to the office," I explained, nodding toward the artistic piece. "I'm too troubled to stay in class."

"It is rather morbid." Her eyes narrowed at the picture. "You said to let you know how it went yesterday."

I nodded, wondering why she brought that up. "I did."

"One way communication is not all that entertaining," she muttered, scrunching up her nose.

For a second, I remained confused until it clicked. I took out my phone and skimmed through the messages she sent me. If I had even glanced at my phone the day before, I would have been warned about Bella's unexpected arrival.

We arrived at the office and I sat outside on the waiting chairs and she took a seat next to me.

"Ah," I said, sounding apologetic. "I'm sorry, I should have checked. I forgot."

Rosalie gazed up at me through her eyelashes. "Your plan didn't work. She's going out of town that weekend. Edward's joining her."

"My plan definitely backfired." At the tilt of her head, I continued, "She came back home at an…improper time."

"Improper time," Rosalie repeated, studying my face. A mischievous smile work its way onto her lips. The light faded from her eyes, they darkened. "Oh. How scandalous. I do believe _that_ talk isn't a part of the best friend quota."

Puffing out some air, I positioned the painting onto my lap. "What's scandalous? Why can't we talk about it?"

At that her eyes grew even darker. "Speaking of one of the most vulnerable positions isn't that _proper_."

"You're mocking me." My face screwed up. "Who said anything about being vulnerable?"

"I suppose it wouldn't have been vulnerable if both parties were comfortable," she murmured, sounding entirely uncomfortable now. "Again, I don't need the details of your love life."

"You're making no sense…" I ran a hand over the painting and replayed the last couple of moments. I started laughing. "Have we not been over this already? Bella and mine's relationship is purely…"

"An unrequited love?" she suggested, childishly crossing her arms.

I laughed even harder. "No! You're impossible. How did this conversation even come about?"

"Well it all began when you used me to distract your Bella," she said, glaring down at her shoes. "Then…"

"I don't need a play by play. I didn't use you, I'm sorry that I didn't respond to your messages. I was genuinely busy."

She eyed me sceptically. "Doing what?"

"You're going to laugh," I said, just to buy myself some time to think of an answer.

"Maybe," she agreed. "Tell me anyway."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek and glanced toward the office. Ms. Cope sat there, filing her nails. The principal's office's door was closed. When I glanced back to Rosalie, her eyes still faced her shoes.

I sighed. "It wasn't funny. It was a private moment. Something Bella shouldn't have seen. I'm not sure what to do now."

"Has she said anything to anyone about this moment?" she asked quickly, sharply.

"No," I answered, sure that she in fact didn't. At her returning sceptical glanced, I said, "Trust me. I'd know if she did."

Rosalie stood up and paced in front of me. This abrupt change from calm to rage, burning right beneath the surface seemed impromptu. The blonde curls waved back and forth each time she turned.

The principal's door opened and out walked Mike, who's lip quivered. The principal just watched him leave and stared at me, dead in the eyes.

With the painting in my hands, Rosalie stopped pacing.

"One way to deal with blackmailers, is to gather your own form of blackmail material," she muttered, mostly to herself.

"I don't think she would threaten to use it against me."

She rose an eyebrow. "If you're not sure, which you certainly aren't, you're best to be prepared. Don't worry about this. Go in there and deal with that. I'll deal with Bella."

"You sound like a hit man."

"…"

"No." I ignored the glare from the principal. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't. No physical violence. No mental torture or manipulation. Nothing. I can handle this myself."

The barest form of a pout formed on her lips. "Now, that doesn't sound like fun."

"Promise me?"

A low growl emitted from her throat. "I promise not _much_ bodily harm."

"Ms. Harris, inside my office." The principal beckoned me over with a sausage finger. "Now."

Rosalie offered me a bright, innocent smile before she strode off down the hallway, in the opposite direction to her actual class. The principal said nothing, but watched her as she left. Once outside of sight, he barked at me to get my picture inside the room as fast as possible.

The friendship with Rosalie Hale would be colourful, to say the least.


	9. AN ALTERNATIVE MAGIC

**The Secrets We Keep**

9 | AN ALTERNATIVE MAGIC

I knew the day was going to be an odd one, once I sat beside Mike in English. His large pout and beady eyes became more prominent when Bella scrambled into the classroom a few minutes late.

Her cheeks were flushed from the wind that whipped against them and her hair was a huge mess.

It truly wasn't much different from her usual dishevelled state.

Mike turned to me. "You know the weekend of the dance?"

"Yes," I said, reluctantly.

"Is she really going out of town?"

"She says she is," I offered, uncommittedly.

He frowned. "Right."

His dejection made him silent. I was granted a few minutes of the option of listening to the lecture.

The words the teacher spoke were akin to a bee buzzing.

It was there, but other thoughts such as escaping made it too hard to concentrate too much on the sound.

So, when Mike turned back to me with a cautious smile, I wasn't as annoyed as I normally would have been.

The distraction was welcomed but, that didn't mean I had to like the guy.

"I asked Jessica to the dance instead, she said yes," he trailed off.

I offered him a smile. "Third time's a charm."

"What?"

I waved it off. "You'll have a charming time, I'm sure."

"Right." He glanced at the back of Bella's head. "I'm not going to be there for Bella, if she changes her mind."

The force it took to not roll my eyes, nearly gave me a headache.

From a good source, otherwise known as Rosalie, she told me that he did in fact ask Bella out and got rejected through awkward mumbling and excuses.

Mike was a popular guy; the rejection must have been a hefty blow to the ego.

Especially after he expected me to ask him to the dance. Again, the third time was the charm.

"I'm sure she'll understand," I said, eventually.

This made him scowl. "Just tell her, maybe next time I'll be free."

"Will do," I promised.

He winked at me then turned a bland face back to the teacher. Thus, ended my distraction.

Mr. Mason continued decided to pick students at random and asked them questions. Their opinions weren't valid if they couldn't quote the necessary evidence. I think he got a kick out of flustered students.

A vibration sounded out in the classroom and only a few heads perked up in response.

I noticed the reaction of students was almost a square. Only those in the closet proximity noticed. Looking further, it was Bella's leg that shifted in time with the vibration.

She noticed more stares headed her way and flushed redder.

"Ah, Ms. Swan, late and disruptive," Mr. Mason tutted, holding out his hand. "Phone, please."

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I thought I turned it off."

"Clearly not," he said, rolling his eyes. "Phone. Now."

Bella tried to disappear by shrinking lower in her seat, after she handed her phone over.

When she swept hair out of her eyes, she revealed black circles. It was clear that she had gotten no sleep.

Did she stay awake and think about my secret? Maybe about Edward?

Did she come up with ideas on how to deal with the whole, me being a witch thing?

One other possibility was, Edward crept outside of the house again and perhaps her body didn't felt safe enough to sleep.

The bell rang just as I decided to set up further protection around the house. Maybe on the girl herself would have been more productive.

Inside the canteen, Mike still spoke about Jessica and the possibility of Bella changing her mind. Luckily for him, Jessica was too busy dragging his current crush to the table to pay him attention.

Bella was distracted and kept glancing toward the Cullen's table.

Jessica sighed. "Guys don't like clingy girls, Bella."

"Sorry?" Bella blinked. "Oh. No, I mean, I'm just zoning out."

"Usually a person's eyes are unwavering when that happens," I muttered.

"Snap," Jessica said. "You have the hots for Edward Cullen."

"I don't, okay?" Bella snapped.

"It's _okay_ , everyone does," Jessica consoled, baring her teeth. "Just remember that, there's a difference between crushes and stalking. I learned that the hard way."

Coming from Jessica, it made Bella's reaction even more hilarious.

She hacked on some orange juice and spat out the sticky liquid onto the table.

Everyone and by that, I mean everyone, stared at her with disgust.

"I know I said you would blend in, Bella." I shook my head, frowning. "But somehow you call attention to yourself in the most bizarre ways."

"Like nearly getting yourself run over," Jessica supplied.

"That was a show stopper," I agreed.

Bella fumed. "You got kicked out of art class."

I grinned. "I did."

"You saved me."

My heart stopped for a second. "No," I stressed. "I sat with you until help came. That's all."

Bella's hands shook violently by her side. Her embarrassment came out in waves of suppressed anger.

My eyes narrowed as her lips thinned.

I could have sworn she was ready to shout to burn the witch at the stake, but Jessica grabbed Bella's arm-essentially defusing the situation.

"Edward Cullen," she whispered, shocked. "He's staring at you, again."

I rolled my eyes. "I bet he is."

"I don't see him," Bella admitted, casting a glance around the canteen.

This made me glance at the Cullen table. Only four of them sat there.

Their lips moved quickly and they all looked in different directions.

That was until they decided that I was worthy to look at in perfect synchronicity-which Bella noticed.

The grip on her food tray tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"He's sitting alone," Jessica supplied. "I've never seen him sit alone before. That's weird."

I laughed. "Because you keep track of his routine?"

"A little bit," she said, grinning wryly.

Bella watched as her vampire friend waved her over to join him.

"Don't do it Bella," I said, narrowing my eyes at her twitching fingers.

"Do what?" she asked, playing dumb.

"Sit with him," I snapped. "Don't you remember all the things that I told you?"

Bella sighed. "You say a lot of things."

"He will rub himself against your truck," I said. "Mark my words."

Jessica looked at me oddly. "You're awfully weird, you know that?"

"Because I can look past his features and see the crazy?"

"You don't know him," she argued. "Dude, you're new here. You don't know anyone."

I pursed my lips. "He's not as perfect as you all like to think."

"Oh." Her mouth gaped open. "He _actually_ meant her."

"What, did you think he meant _you_?" I accused, laughing. "Shouldn't you be concentrating on Mike. Your date?"

Then it clicked.

Bella vanished from her chair.

She had drifted from the table to stand beside the chair in front of Edward.

She scuffed awkwardly back and forth on her heels and if the crooked smile on Edward's face was anything to go by, he found her amusing.

"You look jealous," Jessica gleefully pointed out.

I snapped my gaze back to her. "Sure. Positively _jealous_."

"Don't worry," she said, gripping my forearm. "We'll find you a date. I promise."

I gritted my teeth. "I'm sure you will."

The rest of the gang joined the table. They spoke of the dance and their plans to go together as a group. They were really hyped about the idea.

The topic quickly moved to going to the beach when the weather was suitable.

Before they could ask me to join them, I slipped away and found myself in the library.

As I walked out of the canteen, however, I felt several eyes boring into my back.

After a couple of minutes sat alone, someone sat across from me, on the other beanbag.

"How did it go yesterday?" Rosalie asked, curling up her legs.

I trailed my eyes over her face to assess her mood. She was smiling it was almost like a dream.

The smile was so ridiculously beautiful and perfect, that it must have been a dream.

I rolled the apple across my palm. "I'm banned from painting in that class."

"That's a shame."

"Mhm. I'm restricted to photography and moulding clay."

She smirked. "I'm sure you can mould morbid scenes."

"And take pictures of dead bunnies," I deadpanned.

"Er-if you so desire, then yes, that too," she said, wrinkling her nose.

I grinned. "You're a very serious person."

"No," she denied. "Your sense of humour is,"

"Is?" I prompted.

"Unusual," she settled on, after several moments of contemplation.

I took a bite of my apple and shrugged, knowing she was right. Either people hated me or loved me. There was no in between.

"I'm sure you'll find a way around the restriction." She paused, then rested her head sideways and stared. "Somehow you always do."

Her comment was vague.

I was sure by the way that she continued to study me, that it was meant to be perceived that way.

I lowered my head and looked up. Her lips twitches ever so slightly.

"Oh?"

"Mhm," she hummed.

"I don't get into much trouble to escape," I lied. "So, want to explain yourself?"

She rose one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

I nodded. "Positive. I am practically a saint."

"Saint Skyler," she said, smiling. "There were a few incidents and conversations we dropped."

I motioned with my hand for her to expand. "Hit me."

Her expression turned blank. "Why on earth would I hit you?"

I laughed at her mortified face. "Uh-"

"I may not be all that experienced with best friends, but I'm sure hitting someone isn't a usual occurrence."

"It wasn't meant to be taken so literally."

She sighed. "That was a joke."

"Oh..."

It took a few seconds of her glaring at me to make me burst into a genuine fit of laughter.

Her reaction was priceless. It was as if she were concerned for me, when I covered my eyes to keep the tears at bay.

"I don't think I'll do that again," she muttered.

I snorted. "Hit me."

"Okay," she agreed. "A truck going fifteen miles an hour on an icy road, managed to stop on time, before it reached the wonderful, Bella."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Why question miracles like that?"

"I'll leave the miracles alone," she agreed.

The sneer remained on her face, that appeared when she mentioned Bella. I almost laughed, but I knew she wouldn't appreciate it.

She twisted a strand of hair between her fingertip. "A purple substance surrounded you when in the ambulance."

"Cheap perfume," I said, scrunching up my nose. "The fake kind. Just a rip off, really."

"Edward was immobilised for two hours."

I grinned and joked, "Another miracle?"

"You write in that journal of yours every day," she said, casually. "You carry it everywhere. Do you know what's funny?"

"Not hearing anything out of the ordinary, Rosie."

She leaned forward. "You write in that journal every day," she repeated. "Yet always write on the first page."

I grinned to cover my discomfort.

Rosalie Hale, was one perceptive woman. She had almost spotted everything rather abnormal about me.

Her attention to detail was exceptional.

I took a bite of my apple and chewed slowly as I wondered how to respond to that statement.

Rosalie on the other hand relaxed back into her beanbag and wore a smug smile, as though she just declared check mate.

When I started to smile more genuinely, she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Everyone has their secrets," I said, purposely slow. "Right?"

"Yes. They do."

"Bella found out my secret."

Her expression twisted into something darker. "Has she told anyone?"

"Not yet," I said, quickly, noticing her clenched fists. "It seems you have figured me out, Rosie."

"Not entirely," she said, patiently crossing her arms.

"Well." My grin grew when she altered her position so she sat up.

She reached forward and grabbed my hand, looking solemn. "You don't have to tell me. I'm sorry. Sometimes I can be invasive."

"It's okay. You're my bestie and besties shouldn't have secrets."

She squeezed my hand, looking away. "They shouldn't, no."

"I was practicing when she interrupted me."

She heaved a small sigh. "Go on."

"Rosie, I'm a..."

"You're..."

"A magician." I cracked an embarrassed smile. "I do all sorts of magic tricks. Now, could you imagine everyone finding out about a seventeen year old, playing dress up? How embarrassing is that?"

Rosalie' mouth parted. "A magician," she repeated, bewildered.

"It's the worst blackmail material, huh?"

She nodded slowly.

I placed the apple down and reached my hand behind her ear. When I pulled back, a perfect white rose laid on my palm.

She looked down at it with a mixture between bemusement and wonder.

"You're a magician."

"Yup," I confirmed. "I knew that I could trust you,"

She picked up the rose and brought it to her nose. "Your secret's safe with me."

I was _so_ going to hell.


	10. PAPER CUTS AND PARLOUR TRICKS

There was something about immorality that was fascinating. Perhaps it was the chance to see how the world changes first hand. Adapting to the modern norm, viewing new life styles and embracing them or wilfully remaining in the past and refusing to let go, never being left behind because it was impossible.

There was a thin line between life and death. which was value for the smallest details was that much more for a mortal soul.

One thing that I despised about the year of 2017 was the number of paper cuts that one receives, due to all the course load and all the printing that came with it.

I held my hand away from my body as though a drop of blood would cause me to faint. It wouldn't. I knew that, but red was never my favourite colour. I strolled across the school grounds, a lolly pop stuck in my mouth and a folder tucked neatly under my arm.

I stupidly glanced to my hand and felt, only for a second woozy from the sight and that provided enough time to whack into something stone cold and impressively hard. A grunt escaped my lips as I fell backward, shooting the skateboard off in the opposite direction—the figure stayed standing, clearly not affected in the least.

"The only excuse, that I'd accept for this massive _fuck up_ is that you're visually impaired," the woman trailed off, probably seething in rage.

"Woah. I'm really sorry, please don't maul my average looking face," I said, blinking away the black spots in my vision. "Sadly, I'm not blind, but I do have an excuse."

"Skyler?"

"My excuse happens to be brilliant if you'd just hear me out…"

"You're bleeding…"

"You see, there is blood escaping an open wound…"

There was silence. "You're hurt."

I nodded, solemnly, not yet looking up to see just who I rammed into. "In my travels, pain blinded me, so the crashing into you thing, wasn't _really_ my fault."

A hand grasped my wrist and that was when I finally looked up to the person who I collided against. A very familiar person. I stared, dazed by the golden eyes, not concentrated on my face, oh no, simply put, this overly familiar face's—uh face, was aghast, off put by the horrid cut on my pinkie finger.

As expected, the lovely coloured eyes transitioned into black, clearly affected by the ever so lovely and desirable blood.

I couldn't believe my eyes and not because I catapulted into a vampire. That was old news. But this vampire, Rosalie Hale, someone who I met just recently was there, fretting over my hand, freaking out as though my corpse laid below her. The worried prodding at the skin beside the cut and the frantic glances back to my face? No one could've blamed me for the gigantic grin that took over my face.

"Rosie," I muttered, blinking hard.

"We should get you to a hospital." Rosalie chewed on her lower lip and shook her head. "Better yet, Carlisle. My father. A doctor. Are you hurt? Where does it hurt?"

"Oh, this was just a—"

"Don't you dare say a magic trick," she warned.

"Well, if it was one, it wouldn't be my finest work."

"So, it was?" she asked, disbelief colouring her tone.

I pursed my lips and shook my head. "No, but if it was I'd never admit to it, would I? You know, it being a massive fail and all."

Rosalie glanced down to my finger again with a deep frown. "Come on."

I continued to watch her. "What?"

She sighed, unimpressed. "Let's get that checked out."

I laughed, not surprised when she easily hauled me off the ground. "It's a paper cut."

"There's blood," she emphasised, walking quickly toward her car.

"It's not like I'm being sucked dry by a vampire."

"Skyler," she said, shaking her head.

I let out a little snort. "Because that would, _bite_."

"Seatbelt," she ordered, closing the passenger door.

"Someone's bossy," I muttered, clicking it on anyway.

The thing about keeping lies intact is the continuous fabrications to keep the deception maintained. After handing in my assessment, I was going to go to a magician's shop to buy the necessary equipment to keep up the façade.

Not that this interruption was bad or anything, but I knew that being brought to the home of a vampire coven wasn't exactly the best option for me right now, considering how most of them were strangers and one didn't particularly like being caught out for his stalking.

Rosalie snatched some papers from where it had skipped off and climbed into the driver's seat. When she let out a groan, I thought for a moment that maybe the proximity to blood had finally gotten to her, but then her eyes flashed toward the school's entrance and out bounding came the bulky vampire, Emmett.

I brought my hand onto my lap and watched as she practically throttled her head against the steering wheel. I only had to blink and there Emmett was, climbing into the back seat of the car with a gigantic smile taking over his face. He kicked the back of Rosalie's chair, earning a low growl and clenching of her jaw. She started up the engine and escape the school grounds quickly.

Emmet relaxed. "Well, would you look at this? Rose and her new friend, _skipping_? What bad asses."

"Not bad asses, just someone in mortal peril."

"Oh, really?"

"My life is so in danger," I explained, wiggling my hand.

"Oh." His eyes darkened just a little. "Well, you're a—"

"Shut up, Emmett," Rosalie snapped.

I glanced back at him. "I'm a what?"

His nose wrinkled. "Suddenly I forgot about what I was going to say."

Rosalie wore a smirk. "Good boy."

"Oh." I suddenly remembered something. "Ah. I forgot."

"About what?" she asked, pressing her food harder against the pedal.

"About you guys." When they both looked confused, I gestured between them and explained, "You're together."

"Well, not really because you're in the passenger seat," Emmett said, as though I ruined his entire day.

"Idiot," Rosalie grumbled. "She meant romantically."

"Oh. Ew."

I looked between them. "Ew?"

" _Ew_ ," they both confirmed.

The apparent platonic pair both physically cringed, obviously repulsed by the idea.

The drive to their house was quick. Maybe because Rosalie saw no problem with overpassing the speed limit. After I reminded her of who my god-father was, she scowled and drove even faster. Everything outside the window merged into one big, green blur, until we travelled along a long road leading up to their mansion.

My finger bled more than I would've liked. The surrounding tissue, meant to keep the blood from dripping all over the car. It was heavier than I expected. This led me to believe that maybe the cut was a little deeper than I initially thought.

"Okay. This is disturbing," I said, holding my hand as far as I could away from me.

"It does look nasty," Emmet agreed.

"Get Carlisle," Rosalie ordered, already helping me out of the car and into the house.

"Okay my dramatic Rose."

"I swear Emmett—"

"Chill." He held up his hands and opened the front door. "It's not like she's going to die."

I wrinkled my nose. "Well, not right now."

Rosalie scoffed. "Not ever."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm aiming for at least eighty-four."

"Why that age?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"You're not really living after that, are you? Best to drop dead and not prolong life when it's not worth the effort."

"Wow. That's dark."

I shrugged. "It's reality."

Rosalie pinched my hip and ordered, "Up the stairs, now."

She led me up the stairs, but I didn't really notice much. I was settled onto a bed and that's when I glanced around. It was an office, one looking like you'd find at your local GP. It wasn't until I started swinging my legs that I realised that Rosalie sat beside me, cold thighs pressed against my own.

When I kicked a little too hard, my wand slipped out of my boot and because she was a vampire, it was just a reflex for her to catch it mid-air, even if she had to push herself awkwardly forward. She eyed the stick curiously, twisting it between her fingertips, then she offered me an eyebrow raise, as she placed it back inside my boot.

Before I could offer up any sort of explanation, the door opened and in came a new, still young-looking vampire, with blonde hair and all that other immortal characteristics.

That was when a whispered thought entered my head. What a _fucked up_ profession for a vampire to have, dealing with _blood_ every day.

His daughter didn't even give him a chance to look at me.

"She's bleeding," she huffed out. "Fix her."

"I see." Carlisle studied my hand, before he faintly smiled and offered out his hand for me to shake. "I came as soon as I could. I'm Carlisle Cullen. It's nice to finally meet you, Skyler."

"Uh, same."

He took a closer look at my hand. "It's a paper cut?"

I nodded lips pursed. "Yup. There it is. All in its teeny tiny glory."

Rosalie huffed again. "Aren't you going to treat her?"

Carlisle glanced to her and inclined his head. "Of course, I am. You might want to hold her hand for this."

"Will it hurt her?" she asked, leaning closer to me.

"It'll sting, just a little," he murmured, fetching something from a drawer.

"Can't you give her something to numb the area?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's a paper cut, Rosie."

She wrinkled her nose. "So, you keep saying."

As soon as he made his way over, she tugged my hand onto her lap and squeezed it. I couldn't believe how over dramatic this girl was. I let her have her fun, letting her create a tense atmosphere as Carlisle sprayed some disinfect onto the cut. Which yes, did sting and prompted a small hiss that might have made Rosalie shove him away from me.

It didn't stop there. He proceeded to place a little band aid over the cut and took several steps back, casting a wary look toward the other blonde.

"That's it?" she asked, after a moment of silence went by.

"That's it," he confirmed, eyes crinkling.

I studied the band aid with a frown. "Barbie. Nice."

Carlisle chuckled on his way out of the room, leading us down the stairs, when I automatically went to follow him, Rosalie gripped my wrist and led me into the sitting room where Emmett played video games and spoke through a speaker piece. There was no offer to drive back to school so I allowed myself to plop down on the couch, admiring the patch-up work of the doctor.

Emmett silently handed me a remote and that was how I spent hours, playing violent video games with a guy I hardly knew. We bonded through virtual life and death situations.

On the other side of the couch laid Rosalie, curled up into a ball, reading a magazine with a monster truck on the cover. She was so quiet that I forgot that she was there, until cold feet pressed into my back, forcing a large shiver to course through my body and thus I was killed on screen.

"Rosalie," I complained, climbing away.

"You're supposed to be my friend, not his." She glowered in Emmett's direction.

"We can share," he compromised, not turning his head away from the screen.

"I don't share," she said, leaning toward me with a distracting smile.

I eyed her warily. "Sharing a human. What a weird concept."

Rosalie didn't stop moving until she had my ankle in her hand and proceeded to drag me away from Emmett, all the way over to her side of the couch, smirking when my mouth dropped open.

"It's not a concept because I don't share."

"You're no fun, Rose," Emmett grumbled.

"Want to see something fun?" I asked, getting their attention on me. I wrapped a hand around my Barbie band aid and did some dramatic wiggling in the seat. When I removed my hand, they gasped. "I know. I'm awesome."

"How the hell did you do that?" he asked, dazed.

"Magic," I answered, watching when Rosalie tugged me even closer.


	11. FIRST MEETINGS WITH A POOF OF DANDELIONS

Relaxing back on top of a cold, smooth body while playing video games wasn't exactly the result I expected from nipping my smallest finger off an essay sheet that I never got the chance to hand in. It remained in my bag, bloody and unmarked by the teacher. I was half tempted to transport the sheet to the teacher's desk without moving an inch, but vampire hearing would probably hear the subtle pop and their heightened sense of smell, would quickly pick out the essence that'd fill the air.

Whenever Emmett shifted or Carlisle made an act of getting a glass of water, Rosalie somehow brought me closer to her body until I couldn't distinguish whose body part was whose. It was marking her territory, rubbing herself like a cat all over me and for some reason I was oddly flattered, like she cared enough to be possessive of her friend.

What I did to gather such awe from the vampires, was replace the band aid with white, fluffy looking dandelions enrapturing my finger—all tied together to form a perfect circle.

I watched mournfully as my character tragically died for the hundredth time.

"Machine guns don't take much skill, Emmett," I said, displeased.

"Uh, yeah it does," he disagreed, sticking his tongue out in concentration.

"You randomly shoot and they're dead. Where's the skill in that?"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "I'm on a kill streak of thirty. That takes survivor skill."

I rolled my eyes and put the remote down. "I'm done."

"I told you knives wouldn't do the job." Emmett frowned, shutting the Play Station off. "Dude, like yeah, it was great how you took me out in one throw, but that left you vulnerable to another attack. There's a thing called too much precision."

Rosalie muttered, "Such nerds."

Gaming was _intense._

I never really understood the appeal of killing virtual characters until Emmett gave me a head set and we both started talking to complete strangers on the other side of the screen. They were hella rude.

It was like blood lust took complete control of my body and every time my pocket knife sunk into the back of a pixel head, a strange sense of accomplishment took over my body. It was probably the closet that I could relate to vampires craving warm, fresh blood.

That was the thing about the paper cut that didn't bode well with me. They were vampires and the blood that seeped out of my finger didn't tempt them all that much. The signs were there, the darkened eyes and sometimes they held their breath, but I expected something more savage coming from them. That didn't happen and I was pleasantly surprised and unnerved.

Rosalie shifted her fingers so that he brushed against the dandelions. "It took skill to complete this trick without us realising how you did it."

I smiled, tapping her wandering finger. "I know."

She prodded back. "How did you do it?"

I shifted off her so that I could like her dead in the eye. "A magician never reveals his secrets."

"Aren't you immune from that sacred oath?" she asked, tilting her head sideways, mockingly.

"Why would I be excluded?" I narrowed my eyes. "Are you accusing me of being a fake magician?"

"His secrets," she stressed, earning a chuckle from Emmett. "You're a girl."

"Fine. Their secrets. Happy?"

She started to grin. "You can't just decide to change the oath."

"That's sexist," I said, frowning.

"No, it really isn't, I'm merely pointing out the loophole in the phrase."

I got off the couch, feeling attacked from every which way. I dug into my school bag, pretending to rummage through it until I conjured up a black cape. I tugged it out and threw it over my shoulders and turned around quickly so that it flapped against both their legs.

I checked my phone for the time and knew that leaving before the others arrived home from school was probably the best option.

What was typical was as soon as I decided to leave the danger zone, the front door swung open and in came the rest of the household, except for the woman playing the role of their mother. Really, I didn't have a chance to do or say anything before their eyes landed on me, looking at me as though I was something both intriguing and invasive.

I didn't mind all that much when I was tugged backward so I sat back down on the couch, the cape tangling awkwardly around me.

"Oh, this really makes things a lot easier," Alice, announced, looking too cheerful as she flew toward us.

"Makes what," Rosalie placed a hand over Alice's chest, stopping her in her tracks, "a lot easier?"

"Well, inviting Skyler to the house, of course."

I smiled, fidgeting with the cape. "Nice to meet you too."

Alice grinned. "We're going to be the best of friends. Can you feel the vibe we're exchanging? It's a lifetime worth."

Emmett snorted. "Haven't you heard? Rosalie doesn't want to share her with us."

"What?" Alice pouted, looking at Rosalie with imploring puppy dog eyes. "Do you know how long it took to sketch out a plan to befriend Skyler just so I could invite her back home? It's fine that you destroyed _that_ plan. But now that she's here, nothing will get in the way of our blossoming friendship. Nothing. Not even your petulant, jealously."

"Uh." I wiggled my hand. "Question?"

"Yes, Skyler?" Alice allowed, dodging a punch to the shoulder from her sister.

"Why didn't you just come up and you know, talk to me?" I asked, curious by her perky nature.

"As if it's that simple." She looked at me with a suspicious glint in her eye. "You're very hard to read. I couldn't predict your response to...my offer of friendship."

I offered out my hand to shake. "To friendship."

Alice giddily shook my head. "To friendship—now ignore Edward. He tends to take a while to warm up to people. Same can be said for Jasper. At least say hi to her, honey."

Jasper grimaced from the deepest corner of the room. "Hello, ma'am. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

I tore my gaze away from the very enthusiastic vampire and watched Edward as he slumped down beside a piano and started playing some dreary music. I started to smile because that's how I always imagined vampires, people who isolated themselves, had extreme mood swings and mastered musical instruments. The atmosphere became depressing.

I felt a light shove against my personal boundary, as if someone prodded against the outskirts of my brain, reminding me of the times people tried to penetrate my memories or thoughts. My face scrunched up as I forcefully let down my guard, to investigate, only to have my emotions swayed forcefully into a complete state of relaxation.

It was like I didn't have control of anything anymore. One second I was sat beside Rosalie, firmly on the couch and the next I stood up, clenching my hand into a fist. Curious eyes watched as I threw a sprinkle of dandelion dust and disappeared out of the vampire house.

I was sucked through a straw and forced out the other ending, leaving me standing in the centre of my bedroom, facing the door that had Bella standing there with a toothbrush hanging out the side of her mouth and bubbles coating her chin. The brush fell out from between her teeth, onto the carpet.

"You can just pop in and out, just like that?" was the response to the display of magic.

"Er—yes."

"Your friends, they're witches too?" she asked, plucking the toothbrush from the ground with a sheepish smile.

"Witches and wizards, yes."

She nodded slowly. "Why don't they pop here?"

I spun around and flopped down on the bed and let out a groan. "They're not of age yet."

Footsteps travelled into the bedroom. "Meaning?"

"You have to be seventeen and over to be able to use independent magic outside school," I explained, eyeing the diary hanging at the edge of the pillow. "They can track you if your underage."

"That makes sense."

"Yup," I said, flicking through the diary, noticing just how blank the pages were. I looked to the expectant girl. "Can I help you?"

"No." She got up to leave. Right before she left the room, she started nodding. "Yes. Well, no. Edward told me that Rosalie took you back to her place. You're friends with her?"

I sighed. "Yes."

She sucked in a deep breath. "Does she tell you that it's better off not being friends?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What, like upgrade to girlfriends?"

She eyed me weirdly. "No. As in, don't talk to each other at all."

"Nope."

Bella continued to watch me for a couple of seconds before I got a little impatient and murmured, "Locomotor," to both shove her out of the room and closed the door after she left.

I spied my phone vibrating on the bed and recalled the last few minutes, you know, the way I left without much thought or even a simple goodbye? I scrunched up my nose as I grabbed it and looked at the array of messages coming from one unknown number and Rosalie.

They all consisted of the same thing. Freaking the hell out.

What made me jump was the sudden tap against my bedroom window. I narrowed my eyes and made my way toward it and in the meantime, another pebble was thrown against it. I had an _inkling_ of who it was and feared for the window's safety. There were no spider web cracks or anything to deal with.

I pushed the latch open and laughed awkwardly down at the blonde-haired immortal, staring up at me with a facial expression that was carefully blank.

"Wow." I pretended to check my phone. "You got here quicker than the average human, Rosie."

"So, did you," she countered, letting slip her confusion.

"True," I grumbled, making myself comfortable. "Anyway, your family, they all seem friendly. I should probably get Alice's phone number now that I think about it—"

"—Skyler,"

"—Because she seems like the type to send mass amount of text messages, am I right—"

"Seriously? Is this how this conversation's going to go?"

I licked my lips and shrugged. "The normalcy was shot when you decided to forget how to enter a house."

Rosalie let out an amused scoff. "No, that was when you poofed out of our house, without a trace."

I looked to my bare finger. "Not true. I left the dandelions."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, there's that."

"Do you want me to drop you down some rope?" I joked, crossing my arms. "Or do you want to walk back around to the front of house and come inside? It's freezing."

"Fine. I'm coming up."

So, with a dramatic hair flip, she rounded the house. I surged forward to go open the front door for her, but was pulled back. I tried to move again, only resulting in the same problem. I was stuck. A portion of my cape was somehow tangled itself within the heater and rendering me frozen in place.

I winced at the voices downstairs and how the front door slammed shut.

I tapped my foot against the ground, waiting patiently for what sounded like Rosalie and Bella bickering to end. I zoned out until a knock came to my bedroom door and without waiting for a response, Rosalie barged in, eyes roaming quickly, as if she were attempting to detect anything abnormal, making me grin at her predictability.

"Yes, do come in. I guess you don't need an invitation."

"Hmm. Sorry." She rounded to the side of the bed closet to me and sat down. "You're right. It is cold."

I nodded, attempting to subtly tug the cape. "Yup."

She rose an eyebrow. "You can close the window now, I'm here. On your bed. Waiting."

I shrugged and closed the window, making the space for me to hold my body up a lot smaller. She continued to watch me, a smirk curling up on her lips which made me frown at her mess of emotions.

"You really are stubborn, aren't you?"

"Everyone has their bad attributes to bare."

"You aren't going to ask for help?"

"I mean, if you're offering to safe me from this bad posture enabling situation," I said, gesturing toward the cape with a grimace. "By all means, be my saviour."

She got up quickly and yanked the cape free, wearing a smug small as she beckoned me back over to the bed. Once we were both positioned sitting across from one another she let out a sigh and refused to look anywhere else besides dead in my eyes.

I stared back, only out of some silent obligation to win the staring contest.

She sighed again.

My eyes started to water.

"Seriously?" she broke through the silence.

"Maybe? Depending on what you're referring to?"

"If I ask you a question, will you answer it honestly?"

I contemplated the question, then said, "Sure."

"It's been annoying me all day."

"Ask sooner next time," I teased.

"Skyler." She groaned, closing her eyes. "What's with the damn stick in your boot?"

"It's a stick that channels power of a magical being."

"That's what you're going with?"

I leaned back on the bed and studied her. My assumption of her almost knowing what I was when I disappeared from the house cracked a little. I blatantly told her the truth and she was looking at me as if I told some joke that wasn't funny in the slightest.

Rosalie mimicked my body language, but leaned back further so that she was lying down with her palm holding up her chin.

I pulled the wand out from my boot and positioned it so that it lay in-between us on the sheets.

"What? Did you think it was something sentimental?" I asked, trying to figure her out.

"I don't know," she muttered, studying it. "I didn't quite grasp how…passionate you are about this magician life style."

"Oh?"

"I see it now." She offered me a confused smile. "You're tricks, they're a mystery, just like you."


End file.
